Balor
As I sit here tonight one question keeps going through my mind; why do I fight? There are much easier career paths then this. So why do I do it? Why do I, Finn Balor, wrestle?

[He looks up towards the Heavens, lets out a little sigh and then looks down at the floor, purposely avoiding looking at the camera.]

Balor
It's such a simple question, yet I cannot even begin to fathom how to honestly answer. Maybe it's because I'm always trying to improve myself. If you're not striving to improve then you're destined to descend. Maybe I do it because fighting is in human nature. There's something in us as human beings that needs a little bit of conflict. Or perhaps it's because I want all of my hard work to pay off. In life I want to be able to make my mark and be able to leave a lasting impression. At the end of the day I guess I just want to be remembered. I want to be remembered as a warrior.

[Finn stands up and walks over to a nearby locker. He opens the door and pulls out a gym bag before taking a seat back on the steel chair. Balor unzips the bag, pulls out a pair of black leather boots and proceeds to slip them on.]

Balor
With all that being said, I can't help but think of my losing effort at No Escape. As a team we lost. But at the end of the day this isn't a team sport. I don't depend on anybody. When I win, I bask in the glory. When I lose, I taste the defeat. And that is precisely what transpired. So now I must dust myself off, pick myself back up and learn from this. Winning and losing isn't what defines a man. A man is defined by how he picks himself up after a loss. The way I handle defeat is by taking one step back. After a loss. I just like to sit back, relax. I think about the match a little bit but not too much. That match is done and in the past. In my mind, it's gone and now it's onto the next one.

[Balor leans over and laces up his boots.]

Balor
So now that is in the past. And it is time to look forward. It's like a shark; you never move backwards. If you're not moving forward, you're surely dying. And as I look forward, I know I have done everything in my grasp to succeed in this next fight. I've trained hard to fight hard. I've trained hard to win easy. Not to say I cannot be beaten. As soon as you think you're too good, you're going to get hurt. But I am far from afraid. I'm never scared. If you're scared to fight somebody, you shouldn't be fighting. If you're afraid of fighting someone, then they've beaten you before the fight even begins.

[He reaches into his gym bag and pulls out some black wrist tape. He begins to wrap his hands as he stares off into the distance.]

Balor
And now it's the day of the fight. I can't explain it; on the day of the fight, things change. That's when something takes over me. That's when The Warrior comes out. I don't know what goes through his mind. He just goes out there and battles. He's always been a do or die kind of fighter. His style is aggressive. When he gets going, it gets kind of brutal. He goes after the opponent ruthlessly but with tons of technique. He's not just some mindless brawler. He's cold. He's calculated. When it comes down to it in a fight, his techniques usually are out the window. His endurance is down the drain. He's got nothing really left inside the ring. He's barely standing on his feet, but what makes him keep going is his heart and his warrior spirit.

[Finn drops his wrist tape as he finishes wrapping his hands and stands up from the steel folding chair. He walks towards the door, opens it up and makes his way into the backstage corridor.]

Balor
But, even though I'm as prepared as I can be, there is a variable that is out of my control; my opponent. Chris Sabin is my adversary for tonight. A big heart; that's what I hope he has. That's what I admire most in an opponent. A rival that's willing to go through hell and high water and it not intimidated under any circumstances, that's what I admire most. Just to step inside the ring is a challenge in itself. And you've got to admire and respect any other man who does it. I don't have a motto per say, but I've always liked the Aeneid quote: "Fortune favors the brave." It is implied that any man who steps in between those ropes and puts his body on the line on any given night is brave. But true bravery should be defined as a man who bares not just his body, but his heart and soul each and every time he steps into the squared circle. That's how I know that I shall be deemed victorious tonight. Because fortune truly does favor the brave.

[Balor pauses as he reaches the Gorilla area backstage. It is there that he sees Chris Sabin warming up. The two men lock eyes.]

Balor
There he is; the man that has the audacity to think he could possibly be triumphant over me. Am I really going to let him hinder me tonight? Am I really going to let him take all my time and effort and make it for not? Or am I going to succeed here tonight? Am I going to achieve what I know in my heart of hearts is an obtainable goal? Am I going to prove why I am a warrior?

[Suddenly Chris Sabin's music hits over the PA system. Sabin walks past Balor, shooting him a cocky grin before walking through the curtain and into the arena. Finn glares for a second before stretching his arms out and looking up towards the ceiling.]

Balor
This is your time. Go out there and do what you know you're supposed to do. You've been doing this your entire life. This time it's just on a much grander stage. You've come a lot further than a lot of people might think was possible. So on one hand yea, I could look at this like I've already won. And to a certain extent I do. But I always want more. Now it's time to get into that ring and prove it. Look at your opponent across from you in the ring. A lot of people have a lot of different thoughts when they are looking into the eyes of their opponent. But you know yours will always be different than everyone elses'. Because you're always going to focus on thinking about nothing. Clear your mind out completely. Start your walk to the ring. Close your mind. Go on autopilot. That's when you'll start reacting. Everything you do is going to be instinctive from there on out. At some point you're going to feel like quitting. Everybody feels like quitting at some point. It's okay to feel that way. The important thing is to just make sure you don't quit.

["Catch Your Breath" by CFO$ starts to play out in the arena. A stage hand gestures for Finn Balor to exit the curtain and make his entrance. Finn steps up to the curtain and lets out a sigh of relief.]

Balor
So back to the million dollar question; "Why do I fight?" I ask myself this every morning, feeling the pain. I do it for so many reasons. The rush of adrenaline, the roar of the crowd, the glory of the championship. But I know there is more to it. Maybe I'm doing it to find an answer. Maybe when I get to the top of the industry I'll find out something about myself. Maybe I won't find out anything. But I guess, I'll step into that ring tonight because I know the view from there is...unbelievable.

[Balor pulls back the curtain as the camera fades from the white lights of the arena to black.]