WWE star recalls getting stapled mid-match after ladder shot from Edge
Summary
– Finn Balor suffered a serious head cut during his Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 39
– Balor said a ladder spot with Edge caused the wound after the ladder slipped through his guard
– A WWE doctor stapled the cut shut at ringside so Balor could finish the match
Finn Balor’s Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania 39 included a much more intense medical moment than fans saw on television.
Balor faced Edge inside the cell while performing as The Demon. During the match, Edge threw a ladder at Balor in a spot that ended up opening a deep cut on Balor’s head.
Speaking on Insight With Chris Van Vliet, Balor explained that the moment was supposed to be controlled. He told Edge that if his back was turned, Edge could throw the ladder and hit him there. If he turned around, Balor planned to block it.
“There was a spot where he was gonna hit me with the ladder. I said, ‘Dude, if I’ve got my back to you, just throw it and hit me in the back. If I turn, just hit me with it.’”
Balor said he turned at the wrong time and tried to put his hands up. The problem was that a ladder does not react like a chair, and the rungs slipped through his hands.
“Then no problem, I’ll just put my hands up and block it, but it’s a ladder, it’s not a chair. So the rungs were here and here, and it just went right through my hands.”
The ladder hit Balor in the head, and blood quickly started dripping onto the mat. Referee Shawn Bennett then approached him with a clear message from WWE officials.
Balor was told he needed treatment or the match would be stopped. He chose to let WWE doctor Michelle close the cut with temporary staples on the ring apron.
While that happened, Edge moved the focus to the other side of the ring. He searched under the ring and handled weapons to buy time while Balor was being treated.
Balor said the doctor warned him that the staples would hurt. His response was simple because of where they were.
“She goes, ‘It’s gonna hurt.’ I said ‘It’s WrestleMania, doc.’”
Balor also said he slipped back into Demon mode during that moment. As the doctor worked on him, he started yelling for her to staple it in character, which caught her off guard.
“I started saying to her [in Demon voice] ‘Staple it! Staple it!’ I go into Demon character, to where the doc Michelle just [shudders]. She gets scared because she’d never seen me perform as the Demon before.”
The staples went in, and Balor finished the match. The action continued with Edge and Balor trading major moments before Edge eventually won after multiple chair shots and a Con-Chair-To.
The injury became one of the most memorable visuals from that WrestleMania match. Balor’s story now gives fans a clearer look at how quickly WWE had to manage the situation without stopping the match completely.
