Finn Balor's Short-Lived Wrestling School Helped Train A Young Becky Lynch
Before joining WWE, former Universal Champion Finn Balor served as a trainer at his own wrestling school in Dublin, Ireland — Fight Factory, founded alongside Paul Tracey in 2003. They were formerly affiliated with NWA UK and NWA Ireland.
In a country where there were little to no wrestling schools, Balor provided a rare opportunity for aspiring Irish wrestlers to learn and practice wrestling fundamentals. One of the people the school helped train was a young Rebecca Quin, who would later rise to superstardom as Becky Lynch. In an interview with Timesnownews.com, Lynch recalled her experiences at Balor's school.
"My brother and I would watch wrestling all the time and I loved it," she said. "But if you wanted to be a wrestler, you'd have to go off to England or America to train. It was only at Finn Balor's school that I got the opportunity to learn. We wrestled for three months on just six blue mats on the floor in this tiny little hall at Saint Andrew's national school. We'd go down there every Sunday and that's how we learned, on the mats. We'd go across to England and do these summer camps where you'd train eight or nine hours a day in a gym."
A Star in the Making
Lynch is currently one of WWE's top superstars, but it took a while before she could reach her highest potential. Coming into the school, she was a huge fan of wrestling but had little knowledge of the in-ring practices.
"To be honest, I was terrible in the beginning, and wrestling was so foreign to me," she said. "I wasn't an athlete. I was a chilled-out kid, but I was tough. I had never done anything like this, but I just wanted to work. I remember at one stage crying to Finn Balor and telling him that I just wanted to be as good as any of the guys. He told me that it was exactly what he was trying to make me do."
From the very beginning, Balor sensed the superstar potential in Lynch. Most times, she was the only woman at the school, but she proved that she could hang in there with the men. Her drive and passion for the business is what helped shape her into the talent she is today, and continues to fuel an already legendary career that has seen her become a six-time women's champion and main event WrestleMania.
"That's all I've ever wanted for myself," Lynch said. "To run on dreams, hard work, and adrenaline."