Finn Balor has revealed several of the alternate ring names WWE pitched him when he arrived in WWE NXT in 2014 — including one that later became associated with Liv Morgan and another that Paul Levesque rejected because it sounded too much like RuPaul.
Appearing on What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon, Balor reflected on his early days at the WWE Performance Center and how he ultimately created the “Finn Balor” identity from Irish mythology.
“The name Finn Balor is based in mythology because Balor is the one-eyed Demon King from Gaelic folklore, and Finn McCool is… kind of like David versus Goliath,” Balor explained.
Balor said he combined the two mythological references together to create the final name.
However, WWE initially presented him with several alternative options.
One of the most surprising was simply “Liv.”
“I’ve never said this to anyone else,” Balor admitted. “One of those names, and Paul was especially leaning towards this name, was Liv.”
Of course, the name later became famously associated with current WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan.
Another suggested name was “Rux,” though Levesque quickly dismissed it.
“Rux was on there. But then Paul said, no, no, no. People think of RuPaul.”
Balor laughed while recalling that he had no idea who RuPaul even was at the time.
A third option was “McGregor,” which Balor himself ultimately rejected after recognizing the rising popularity of Conor McGregor.
“And this was before Conor had really blown up,” Balor said. “I remember thinking, no, this guy’s going to be a mega star.”
Balor also reflected on concerns he heard immediately after signing with WWE, where some Performance Center staff suggested he would be repackaged into a stereotypical Irish comedy act.
“When I signed with WWE, everyone said, ah, you’re going to be the Irish leprechaun. You’re going to be Hornswoggle’s tag team partner.”
Balor said there was skepticism internally about whether his elaborate body-paint “Demon” presentation would survive the transition to WWE.
According to Balor, things changed once he finally sat down directly with Levesque and William Regal.
“We’re talking back and forth… and then Paul just kind of folds his arms, and he says, ‘So tell me about this body paint.’”
Balor said that moment reassured him WWE might actually embrace the character presentation he had built internationally.
Another memorable early WWE moment came when Levesque casually handed Balor his personal phone number.
Afterward, Sami Zayn reacted in disbelief.
“Did you just get Triple H’s number? Whoa, bro. I’m so proud,” Balor recalled Zayn joking. “It’s like when you see your friend at the bar getting the number from a really hot girl.”
