Posted on 1/20/126 by Colin Vassallo
Finn Balor received a proper Superstar homecoming in
Northern Ireland last night on Raw, even though he came up
short in his quest to win the WWE World Heavyweight title
from CM Punk.
With Punk out first, the arena lights went dark and fans
started the “Ole” chant while fireflies filled up the SSE
Arena.
Balor came out to his original NXT theme song with “Balor
Country” on the video screen, and the Belfast crowd greeting
the former leader of the Bullet Club with a thunderous
ovation.
The 20-minute match ended with Punk victorious after a GTS.
Following the win, Punk extended his hand to Balor and
helped him back up, talked to him, and raised his arm. He
then gave Balor a hug with fans applauding in the
background.
When Raw went off the air, Balor was able to address the
crowd.
“I just want to say that I feel very privileged to be here
tonight. I’ve done a lot in my 25-year career in this
business. And tonight is, without question, the most
memorable night of my career so far,” he said. “You know, I
don’t get to come home very often. And this week was very
special because yesterday, for the first time in almost 15
years, I got to celebrate my mother’s birthday with her!”
Following the customary happy birthday song from the crowd,
Balor thanked them for being able to do this on his home
turf in front of his family and his people.
“You know what, it’s true what they say, there is no place
like home. Thank you very much, Belfast,” he concluded.