Finn Bálor talks facing CM Punk at WWE Elimination Chamber, the future of the Judgement Day and if the Demon will return

WWE Superstar Finn Bálor wants to use his upcoming match against CM Punk to "rewrite the narrative" of his career – and remove the "stain" of a title abdication that has haunted him for almost 10 years.

Nearly a decade since a shoulder injury forced him to relinquish the WWE Universal Championship just 24 hours after winning the title, Bálor will go up against Punk – the current World Heavyweight Champion – at Saturday's Elimination Chamber event in Punk’s hometown of Chicago.

"I feel like it's time to to rewrite the narrative," Bálor told Radio Times. "For 10 years, people have been saying, 'What if? What if he didn't get hurt? What if he remained champion? What if he didn't have to relinquish the title? And I feel like, no matter what I've done over the last 10 years – be it win multiple Intercontinental Championships, go back to NXT to win the Championship, a United States Championship, multiple Tag Team Championships – no matter how hard I try to remove this little stain from my career, it's like... what if I can't do it?"

Continuing, he explained: "But I feel like this is the moment where I can finally right that wrong, rewrite my narrative and change everyone else's perspective of my career, because people seem to perceive it as a failure, that I never recovered from that injury, where in fact I look at it as a success story, where I was this kid from a small town in Ireland with no wrestling industry, no wrestling schools, barely any wrestling on the TV, with a goal of having one match – and 16 years later, on my first night on Raw, I beat Roman Reigns. On my first Pay-per-view, I pinned Seth Rollins.

"So for me, that's a success story, not this great tragedy that everyone wants to talk about."

Bálor previously faced Punk in in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 19 January – though he lost that match, Bálor (born in Bray, County Wicklow) described that edition of WWE Raw as "the most memorable night of [his] career", adding: "To share the ring with someone who I'd never wrestled before, whose body of work I've admired over their whole career, that was one part. The other part was [taking part in] a world title match in my home country, with 18 of my family members watching. So that was a real special night."

The match in Belfast was also made extra special by the surprise return of Bálor's old theme music, the popular Catch Your Breath – last heard on a regular basis in 2022. Dropping the theme was originally an attempt to "reinvigorate [his] character" and go "a little darker" as he switched to a "more heel-ish" persona, he explained. "I personally love the alternative to Catch Your Breath – but there's just something about that song that is just so catchy, and people can interact with it so well. It's got such energy. I feel like it was the right time [to bring it back]."

The old theme was only supposed to return for the Belfast match as a one-off, but the response from the crowd was so positive that Bálor now expects it to stick around. "Embarrassingly enough, the reaction of the crowd was so loud that I actually couldn't hear the music cue and I missed the first light pop," he laughed. "I was like, 'It feels like it should be now, but I can't hear it...' and then it was too late! But I think that kind of added to the magic."

This nostalgia hit has fans wondering whether we could see another throwback, with Bálor reviving his otherworldly alter-ego The Demon, last seen in 2023 at WrestleMania 39 in a match against Edge.

Though he seemed to suggest that we wouldn't see the character at Elimination Chamber, Bálor is open to the idea of revisiting The Demon in future. "I think it can be used effectively, but only occasionally, and it's something that requires a lot more from me than just showing up for a match, being prepared...

"It's really more than just paint, it's a mental state. It really is an alter ego for me, and it's something that I need to tap into.

"It's something that I like to do, something that I certainly want to do again. But like with the music, timing is everything, and the timing has to be right. I'm sure we'll get there in the future, but right now, my focus is on the World Heavyweight Championship and CM Punk, and that feels like this is something Finn has to do."

Bálor's push for a singles title has also raised questions as to his future involvement with the Judgement Day stable – though he's been a loyal member of the group since 2022, recent events have seen a schism amongst the team, with CM Punk advising Bálor to "ditch the Judgement Day" and separate himself from "garbage" Dominik Mysterio.

Bálor though was keen to play down speculation surrounding a possible Judgement Day split. "Hopefully I can erase this stain from my career, bring gold back to the clubhouse and get the Judgement Day back on top," he said.

"You know, obviously it's been a rough couple of months. We've kind of been at each other's throats, tensions are high, but this is business, right? This is WWE – and we're all professionals, we're all striving to be the best. People are gonna clash, but I love Dominik, I love JD [McDonagh], I love the girls. We're a unit. We're a family. And hopefully I can get this one over the line in Chicago… then smooth-sailing into WrestleMania."

Alongside the Bálor/Punk rematch, the 16th Elimination Chamber event will see two Elimination Chamber matches pit six Superstars (men and women) against each other in a large steel structure, fighting in high-stakes matches where only one can emerge victorious to earn a shot at WWE’s biggest Championships.

The Men’s Elimination Chamber Match features Randy Orton, LA Knight, Cody Rhodes, Je’Von Evans and Trick Williams – all winners of recent Triple Threat qualifiers – with one final entrant still to be confirmed.

The Women’s Elimination Chamber Match sees Tiffany Stratton, Rhea Ripley, Alexa Bliss, Asuka and Kiana James qualify through similar contests, with one remaining spot similarly yet to be filled.

Elsewhere, Becky Lynch will defend the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship against AJ Lee, who returned after more than a decade away and reignited a bitter rivalry with Lynch.

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Netflix UK & Ireland subscribers can watch Raw, SmackDown, NXT and all WWE Premium Live events as part of their subscription, including Elimination Chamber live this Saturday 28 February at 11:45 PM GMT.

WWE returns to Europe this Summer including the first-ever PLE in Italy - 'Clash in Italy' - and stops across Spain, Portugal, France and the UK. For more information on tickets visit wwe.com/wweliveeurope

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