WWE News: Finn Balor opens up on why he was hesitant in signing with WWE in the first place

What's the story?

In a recent interview with WWE legends Edge and Christian, former Universal Champion Finn Balor discussed if he was initially planning to sign for WWE, while still being under contract with NJPW and also opened up on his NXT run.

In case you didn't know...

Prior to signing with the WWE in 2014, Finn Balor, then known as Prince Devitt, was one of the hottest superstars' in the world of Professional Wrestling, having established the legendary Japanese faction, The Bullet Club.

Balor eventually departed from NJPW and signed with the WWE, where he initially began competing under the NXT brand. After winning the NXT Championship from Kevin Owens in Japan, Balor went on to become the longest reigning NXT Champion in history with a reign that lasted around 292 days.

After being called up to the main roster and joining Raw in 2016, Finn Balor became the inaugural Universal Champion but had to relinquish his title within 24 hours due to him suffering an injury in his title-winning match.

The heart of the matter

While interacting with Edge and Christian on the recent episode E&C Podcast, Finn Balor recalled his time with NJPW and spoke about why WWE was never his goal in the first place. Balor stated that WWE was seemingly never his goal and he rather wanted to climb up the ladder in New Japan Pro Wrestling after watching guys like Yuji Nagata, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan. (H/T: Wrestling Inc)

"WWE never came into my mind at all. Like, I kind of adjusted my goals, and, like, I was watching [Yuji] Nagata, [Hiroshi] Tanahashi, [Hiroyoshi] Tenzan, like, from ringside every night, learning from these guys, so it became my goal to climb the ladder in New Japan and try to get as good as I can."

Balor, further, stated that WWE seemingly contacted him on several occasions but he never felt the time was right to sign the company. He added that he was in contact with Johnny Ace but never actually felt the time was right to sign with the WWE even when he eventually departed from NJPW.

"And I think I was two, two-and-a-half years, into my run in New Japan and Johnny Ace called me and said, 'hey, we have an opportunity for you.' I can't remember was the [promotion] was at the time. I think it was Florida. I just didn't feel like it was the right move at the time. I felt like I was just finally getting the hang of the New Japan style and trying to get a little bit of a run going and I didn't feel like it was the right moment [to go to WWE]. They came back, like, a couple of times over the years and it never felt like the right moment. Honestly, it didn't even feel like the right moment when I left, but I felt like my clock was kind of running out in regards to how many years I have left, like if that opportunity would rise again at the time."

Balor further discussed his run with NXT and claimed that he began to hit his stride in the developmental brand once he started working alongside Samoa Joe. The former NXT Champion said that he started understanding what his WWE persona is once he shared the ring with the former TNA veteran.

"I felt like getting in the ring with PAC, I think he's one of the best in the world, and getting to do that match with him at TakeOver, a very Japanese style match, and I'm not sure if it was a TakeOver or just NXT [TV]. But that was a moment where I felt, 'okay, if I can continue doing this type of stuff, I'm sure we'll be fine.' But I think when I started hitting my stride was probably working with Samoa Joe. That's when I felt comfortable in the ring, more like myself. I felt like I started to adapt to what WWE needed me to be. So I think working with Joe for that long stretch really helped me step into the role of Finn Bálor as opposed to Prince Devitt."

What's next?

Finn Balor is currently coming off a Universal Title loss against Brock Lesnar, however, it looks like heading into WrestleMania 35, Balor will be entering a program with 'The Almighty' Bobby Lashley.