Finn Balor was glad to show his support for the LGBTQ+ community as part of his entrance at WWE WrestleMania 34 in 2018.
Balor’s first time competing at the Showcase of the Immortals saw the Irish Superstar compete in a triple-threat match for the Intercontinental Championship. In the lead-up to the event, many had predicted that Balor would use his ‘Demon’ persona for the show. Instead, Balor donned a jacket that featured the LGBTQ+ rainbow design and had fans with him on stage.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Balor recalled his entrance and shared how his appearance at WrestleMania 34 came to be.
“It was about three weeks before ‘Mania, and I brought it to Hunter [Triple H] and Stephanie [McMahon], and they jumped on it straight away and said, ‘100%, you can do that.’ They helped me get in touch with the LGBT+ community in New Orleans, and they [the people who appeared] were actually members of the community from there. They weren’t extras or anything like that. It was legit having them up on stage.”
While some fans will have been disappointed that the ‘Demon’ didn’t rise at WrestleMania, being able to express inclusion meant a lot more to WWE’s first Universal Champion.
“For me, that was a more important moment than any Demon entrance could have ever been.”
LGBTQ+ Support
F inn Balor is hardly the only name to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. For the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble, Chelsea Green wore an attire that featured the LGBTQ+ flag. The attire meant even more considering the event took place in Florida which many have criticized for its stance regarding LGBTQ+ rights. Green has previously teamed with Sonya Deville, WWE’s first openly lesbian Superstar, and is currently teaming with Piper Niven, who is bisexual.
In 2023, an AEW Rampage segment went viral as Harley Cameron spoke about Anthony Bowens being into her, oblivious to the fact that Bowens is gay. When Bowens corrected Cameron, this led to a positive ‘He’s Gay’ chant from the crowd. Many at the time noted how the response to a wrestler identifying as gay was vastly different to how things were like during the Attitude Era.