Finn Bálor is completely fine staying out of the spotlight when the cameras stop rolling.
During a conversation with Stephanie McMahon on What’s Your Story?, the WWE star opened up about why he intentionally avoids media appearances, podcasts, public speaking, and other promotional events whenever possible.
Bálor admitted that while some people naturally enjoy being the center of attention, he has always been the opposite — even comparing himself to Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes while explaining the difference in personality.
“I don’t know if there’s a reason. I think there’s different types of people in the world. Some people like to be the center of attention and like to have their voice heard, or like to tell stories, and I mean this with the greatest respect towards one of my colleagues Cody (Rhodes) but I feel like, although we love wrestling, we’re very different personalities, in the sense that when he enters the room, he wants to be the center of attention and likes to entertain and likes to tell stories, where I would rather not even enter the room.”
Bálor laughed while saying that even if he does show up somewhere socially, he would rather fade into the background than command attention.
“If I did, I just wanna blend into the background a little bit and just be an observer more than a participant.”
The Judgment Day member admitted that his personality almost clashes with the wrestling business itself because WWE naturally puts performers in front of crowds, cameras, and media obligations. However, he explained that wrestling inside the ring is where he feels most comfortable expressing himself.
“But it kind of contradicts everything with regards to wrestling because wrestling is how I express myself, and I feel like I express myself better physically with my performance than I do speaking.”
Bálor then revealed that over the last several years, he has deliberately pulled back from interviews, podcasts, media appearances, and public speaking opportunities because he simply does not enjoy that part of the business.
“So, that’s why I’ve kind of, especially in the last couple of years, kind of shied away from doing media, podcasts, public speaking, everything.”
Even though he acknowledged that spending more time improving those skills would likely help his WWE career, Bálor admitted he has no interest in forcing himself into that world.
“I love to wrestle. I know other things come with it and I know perhaps if I invested more time in the speaking part, I know it would be better for my career. But it’s just something that I’m not willing to give. It’s my way of managing all this attention.”
Bálor also made it clear he does not view his dislike of public appearances as a flaw. Instead, he simply sees it as one aspect of wrestling that he does not care about mastering.
“I don’t think it’s a problem. I feel like it’s one part of the job that I don’t excel at. But it’s part of the job that I don’t even necessarily want to excel at.”
Stephanie McMahon later asked Bálor about WWE promotional appearances like events and red carpets. While he said he always handles those responsibilities when asked, he admitted he is rarely enthusiastic about them.
“See, that’s the thing. I understand the promotional aspect of it and when I’m asked, ‘Hey, we need you to do this.’ Obviously, I’m gonna do it, and if it’s a choice of, ‘Hey, would you like to go to this event? Or walk this red carpet?’ I’ll be like, ‘Ehh, okay.’”
For someone who performs in front of millions of fans worldwide, Bálor’s comments showed just how much he prefers staying away from attention once the actual wrestling ends.
Do you relate to Finn Bálor’s dislike of public attention, or do you think WWE stars should fully embrace the spotlight outside the ring too? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.