Fit Finlay

[5.0] "Despite some wicked rad matches with Steven (William) Regal, I can't say I appreciated much else from the guy. I only know his material in North America, so this won't be a glowing review. WCW was sinking deeper and lower by the minute by the time Finlay was featured on a regular basis, to me he was just another guy who couldn't help pull the nose up. He was featured prominently in WWE, just as i no longer cared whatsoever. The whole lil bastard/hornswoggle stuff I guess is great if you're a seven year old. Maybe if I saw his stuff from way back when, from way over there - but such things are very debatable. Some people just never really click. Credit where it's due: excellent trainer for the women of wrestling and those matches against Regal in WCW really did deliver. Not awful but WCW Uncensored '96 is all the Fit Finlay one truly needs in life, that single match is brutal/recommended."

[6.0] "fine worker, enjoyed his heel run in WOS and his match with Marty Jones, his WCW stuff was ... okay, WWE stuff ... same level. Never really felt he was some incredible unbelievable talent, just someone educated in WOS style wrestling."

[8.0] "Just a tough, mean ol' SOB who is not to be messed with. His name is Finlay, and he loves to fight! Perfect type of style for any era. He doesn't get enough credit."

[6.0] "Finlay was a rugged, believable fighter who brought grit and intensity to every match. His late-career WWE run showcased his stiff style and veteran presence, making him a reliable hand in the ring. He wasn't flashy, but his matches always felt like a fight. While he didn't reach main event heights, his work was consistently strong, and his backstage contributions, especially with the women's division, added even more value to his legacy, tho overall the Irish schtick is a tad boring"

[9.0] "A 7 for his wrestling career, and a solid +2 for his involvement in assisting the women's division in WWE. Even as a kid, I felt the whole "Divas" thing was slimy. So glad he was somebody who spoke up about that. In the ring, he was always a cool babyface who had some rocking matches, but sadly he never went above mid-card. I wish WWE put him over more, but I'm also not gonna dock him cause of that. Finlay was still a special wrestler in and out of the ring."

[7.0] "Only watch his wwe stuff so i am rating on only that.When he debut it look like a joke that 40+ man is debutting but he prove everyone wrong by his in ring work he is a solid midcard talent"

[8.0] "Tough, hard-nosed brawler and an excellent technician. He was never much of an upper-card guy but he was a staple of the mid-card where he was able to have some great match-ups with the likes of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Steve Regal and Bret Hart. He had a really solid move-set that displayed stiff strikes, great technical skills and also had the ability to sell and take offense well. His career in America doesn't quiet do justice to how good he was as he briefly held the WCW World Television Champion in 1998 and the WWE United States Title in 2006 with both reigns capping at around 40 days. He gave back to the business in a big way with his work in training female talent like Trish Stratus, Victoria and Molly Holly and was always a huge proponent for the women backstage, he was just an all-around great worker."

[10.0] "A legendary brawler wrestler who no doubt left his mark in WWE. He also helped train the women's division, including Trish Stratus, Molly Holly, Victoria, Stacey Keibler, Torrie Wilson, Dawn Marie etc."

[10.0] "One of my favorite wrestlers. Great technique and great character, especially in his WWE run. He also showed his excellence in the indies after leaving WWE. Lots of great matches in a career that spanned decades."

[3.0] "Just not a lot to get behind as a wrestler. Ridiculous look with the mullet back in the days and technically sound but never interesting really. His late WWE run is embarrassing stuff with Hornswoggle, in a dark time for WWE this was some of the most hacky shit yet. Unfortunate because he probably is more than that but it is what it is. His work behind the scenes is probably great but this is a rating for his stuff as a wrestler as you can't judge the other stuff without knowing the exact contributions."

[6.0] "Finlay was a solid heel brawler but nothing more. I haven't seen his work in WCW that much, but in WWE he was never that special. His irish gimmick was interesting but the Hornswoggle stuff was unnecessary (sometimes funny though). He made part of some good Money in the Bank matches in Wrestlemania."

[6.0] "He was alright midcarder, always good addiction in some multi-person matches. Typical island brawler gimmick"

[10.0] "Easily one of the Best Wrestlers of all Time. In Ring he's a Fantastic Technical wrestler in WOS on par with the likes of Saint, Grey, Breaks and Rocco using his great agility and finesse, earning the "Fit" moniker, but unlike someone like Saint could utilise more high-impact power moves and slams to finish someone off. He was also one of the best brawlers we ever had, in the CWA and moving into his US career, where he was easily the most underutilised talent in either WCW or The WWE, giving some of the stiffest punches you'll see in the National Promotions of the 90s and especially the 00s. Outside of pure wrestling however, what a heel. Of course being Irish during the late 20th century in Britain was an automatic heat magnet but Finlay made it more than just his Nationality the way he would get peck from Paula before every round culminating with the crowd exploding with jeers when she would deny him one when she had had enough of him taking a beating. To him beating the hell out of young Baby-Faced babyfaces in Reslo, either alone or with the dastardly Skull Murphy. A legend on screen and behind the scenes, having been a trainer for WWE's Women's Division during their revolution, Finlay is maybe top 5 worker in the history of wrestling, easily top 10 anyways."

[8.0] "Finlay was one of the first wrestlers I remember really liking in WWE when he was feuding with Lashley in 2006. As a wrestler I'd give him a 7, one of the all-time great brawlers with memorable matches all across the globe and all over American TV. As a trainer and road agent who helped usher in a more athletic style of women's wrestling in WWE, I'd give him a 9. Generations of women's talent have worked with Finlay and sung his praises and he certainly deserves a lot of recognition for helping women's wrestling become much more respectable in the modern age."

[7.0] "I love Finlay! I liked him back in WCW when he was TV champ and feuding with Booker and Benoit, then post WCW he became a behind the scenes guy and I figured that was it for him. Pleasantly surprised when he got back to wrestling in 2006"

[8.0] "One of the most believable in ring working guys, especially when he was a heel, in the history of professional wrestling. Fit had a reputation of working stiff, laying all of his stuff in heavily, and real believably to the point that most of the guys were scared to get in the ring with him when he first moved from Europe to the States to wrestle. All of his facials, all of his nuisances when doing the moves, and the way he applied certain holds was a thing of magic. He was one of those guys that was never going to wow you with his charisma or speaking ability because he never really had either one, but when you put him in the squared circle he could sell you on his that irish brawling style that he had along with the believability of his work. I also give him points and majority credit for changing the way women's wrestling was looked at in the states. He was the guy that transitioned the girls from bra and panties matches to having traditional wrestling matches in WWF/WWE."

[8.0] "He had a strange career with a lot of wasted potential he was a background character in WCW sort of like a sideshow, not a jobber but on the periphery sort of like Meng or Regal. In WWE I think he did his best work"

[5.0] "Finlay some how has developed a reputation of being a good worker and I can not for the life of me understand why. He was not up to much in the UK, his WCW run was mainly lacklustre with a long list of matches that stunk the place out hidden by a few good ones. He probably did his best work in WWE where he was so washed he did little but punch and kick which was fun."

[10.0] "Amazing wrestler, old school style brawler. I watched his German matches, absolutely loved him in WCW. Everything he did looked proper, clotheslines, slams, the forearm across the face when he pinned the guy. His tombstone piledriver in Germany and WCW was great, so was his Celtic Cross, his moveset was just great - it looked pretty basic, but the way it was done - with a bad intent, he looked like he really wanted to hurt the guy. I wish they let him be at least one time ECW champion (WWE version), he and Regal both deserved at least that. Give the title to a guy like Finlay (.. not too many guys like Finlay though.. ) and than elevate a young talent by defeating Finlay and taking his belt. Why not? One of my absolutely most favourite wrestlers."

[8.0] "Finlay, one of the most underrated performers in the companies history, as he was a solidified brawler and always was down to have a scrap with anyone who was bound to step in his way. Him being paired with Hornswoggle was interesting but it slightly worked. Finlay had also introduced a new foreign weapon when it came to illegal objects to be used in normal ruled matches which was the shillelagh. Finlay was usually over with the crowd often which is a shame why he never won more championships within the company. He still works for the WWE as he works in the Performance Centre as a trainer/assistant coach which shows his loyalty towards the company will always remain."

[7.0] "It took me a while to get into Finlay. I didn't appreciate his bruising style much when I was younger, and it's only now that I look back on some of his work and appreciate what a strong wrestler he was."

[10.0] "He's amazing for how he assisted in training, how much of a legitimate brawler he was and for the fact that through his career his in ring skills were very polished. Fit Finlay is a legend in his own right. I don't take anything away for his WWE run."

[7.0] "Solid brawler that had a good run in the WWE. Shame he got shafted in the WCW, because the man deserved some real gold during his career. I know people hate on the Hornswoggle thing, and while I'm not a fan of it I don't really feel it's fair to subtract from Finlay because of it."

[6.0] "I think if finlay went to wwe first instead of wcw he would have won the big belt because who doesn? t love a badass Irishman. He had a good run in wwe and I really didn? t hate the hornswoggle thing as much as some but that could have been avoided if he was in his 20? s or 30? s and not his mid 40? s by the time he got to wwe."

[7.0] "Fit Finlay is the very definition of a good wrestler who missed that final 5% to be considered great. While he put up entertaining match after entertaining match he lacked those matches that make you think "this guy is great! ", or at least these matches were never taped nor held in front of a large audience. As a character you knew he was tough but that was about it: I don't remember any promo of his and the less we say about the whole Hornswoggle angle, the better. Apparently spent most of his best years working in Germany, especially in CWA: back in the days I kept hearing it was a good promotion but for whatever reason getting tapes from Germany was much harder than from Japan or even Mexico. In WCW he was initially pushed strong in the midcard by squashing jobbers, then he became himself a jobber to guys like Booker T and Saturn: I seem to recall by this stage it was already apparent accumulated injuries and the life of the journeyman wrestler were taking their tolls but he still did his job well."

[8.0] "He's a bit of a classic wrestler in that he focused more on his in ring skills than his mic skills or charisma, but honestly, Finlay didn't need to cut promos when his mat work said everything about him. One of the most legitimate brawlers in the business, and could stiff someone to no end, but could also wrestle just fine and was technically solid, despite being pretty slow. Of course, he was never going to be a mainstream success in the West due to his small look and relatively advanced age, but he worked as a mid card act that could be presented as a challenge for minor titles. Extra point for him training pretty much all of the woman wrestlers during the mid 2000's (especially considering most of them had little to no actual experience) and improving the division dramatically"

[8.0] "One of the most believable tough guy brawlers, but he managed to spice things up with some solid wrestling skills. Really good."

[5.0] "His name was Finlay. And he loved putting me to sleep. Decent in the ring but bad look/small size/no promo skills/mediocre character work."

[8.0] "One tough son of a gun. He went to the United States in his late 30's so I guess you could consider him a late bloomer. Great WCW. In WWE he was slowing down but still had some great matches and feuds."

[7.0] "Finlay was a tough as nails bastard who had legitimate fighting credentials, but unfortunately he never seemed to get a big push in either WCW or WWE. When he finally did get some love in ROH and the indies it was too late as his age and numerous injuries began to catch up with him. A very good hand in the ring who could carry almost every opponent he faced to a good match (except Boogeyman but ya know), it's a shame that he didn't get a bigger chance to shine in the big leagues. Oh well, at least he gave us that Bobby Lashley bathturd promo."

[7.0] "A great brawler & technician, Finlay is always a joy to watch. Reminded me of Benoit, where he was all about business. When he added Hornswoggle to his act, it was neat to see a new dynamic for Finlay to play with. Eventually it got silly & too heavy on the comedy. As an agent, most of the women today give him huge praise for helping with their division specifically."

[7.0] "Dave Finlay was your typical no-nonsense hard nosed worker. He wasn't flashy or fancy, but Finlay got the job done."

[8.0] "Very hard hitting in ring competitor that is technically gifted. One of the best competitors in the ring in WCW and later the WWE. Very under rated wrestler."

[7.0] "Fit Finley is one of those old school tough bastards that has tons of respect in the business. He was good in the ring, but even better backstage as an agent and trainer."

[4.0] "Finlay could work in the ring sometimes but a lot of his matches were incredibly slow and filled with restholds. Finlay was garbage in wcw, he didn't have a single good moment or feud. He may have reinvented himself years later in WWE, but I'll always remember that brawl for the hardcore wcw prize."

[8.0] "An absolute badass. Fit Finlay is a hard hitting legend - absolutely LOVE watching him on the offense, beating the crap out of some fools."

[6.0] "I always rooted for the guy, but let's face it, he was average at best. OK move set. A little slow on the pace. No real mic work to speak of. In good shape, but undersized. Totally forgettable career. Whoever bought a ticket because Finlay was on the card?"

[10.0] "He is the man more underrated in the history of WWE. One of the best brawlers that ever seen. His work always was very good like heel as well as face. He deserved more when was active."

[10.0] "When I first saw him pop up in WWE I didn't think I was a fan, but on reflection this man is a legend. He did some fantastic work during that WWE run, and there is also his entire run in WCW and even going back to World of Sport in Britain he has some great work. He's also proven to be a great backstage agent, helping to put together many of the great matches and moments of the past decade plus."

[10.0] "One of the toughest men to ever step foot in the ring, and also one of the most influential MAN in women's wrestling (he helped turn the WWE Divas into competitors. ) When I was a kid watching WCW, back before I even knew that much about wrestling, I always got excited when the Belfast Bruiser was on. That meant I'd get to see something I'd never seen before. It was a pleasure seeing him again on WWE television and briefly in Ring of Honor. He's a great man who has done much for the sport."

[8.0] "Very athletic in his early career, later on he became known by his mat-work and doing the "little things" in the ring. Lacks some great, career-defining matches to be rated higher."

[9.0] "The Belfast Bruiser Fit Finlay is a legit tough guy who brings both brutish brawling and tight technical talent to his matches. His work in World of Sport is fantastic and should be checked out by all wrestling fans."

[8.0] "Always an excellent performer, and in amazing shape for his age."