𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐃 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐈𝐈𝐈
if there's one thing david finlay is good at, it's pretending to be something he's not. growing up, he never seemed to fit in anywhere; not rich enough to be 'rich', living in too big of a house to be poor, irish by blood yet born in germany and relocated to atlanta... he came from a loving family yet somehow always felt alone. real home was backstage at a show, wreaking havoc as his dad became an in-ring legend before his very eyes. even when he once tried to stray from it, wrestling was the clear path for the fourth-generation.
"nepo baby" became a hated term. instead of riding his father's coattails, david worked his way from the ground up in the dojo in japan. it was grueling and it was defeating even beyond the physicality. building a whole world around close friendships just to watch each of them go off on their own and make a name for themselves was a new, bittersweet form of heartbreak. david spent a long time wondering when it would be his time. how long would he be stuck in someone else's shadow?
—forever, it sometimes seems. even now, having fallen into a new role over a year ago, he often feels like a fraud. yet again, the feeling isn't foreign to him; he's felt it his whole life. only now, he's learned to use the frustration of comparisons and setbacks as fuel to make himself better.
despite the tough exterior, there's a playful soul and a heart of gold beneath it. he laughs too loud and is most definitely holding back a dumb joke at all times. he can be childish and immature, yet surprisingly wise about life and wrestling — making him just the right person to head the war dogs and keep them from being overlooked in the same way he once was.
