WWE Star Finn Balor Explains Risk-Averse Approach To In-Ring Work

Some professional wrestlers have an affinity for taking high risks in the ring. Finn Balor, on the other hand, prefers to take a much safer approach. During a recent interview with "What's The Story," Balor opened up about his risk-averse nature, citing a June 2016 cage match against then NXT Champion Samoa Joe as an example.

"When I was in my first run in NXT in a cage match against Samoa Joe, they wanted me to jump off the top of the cage and do the foot stomp. I said no," Balor said. "This is Michael Hayes, like the main producer, he's like, 'What do you mean you don't wanna do your finish off the top of the cage?' And I said, 'Well, A, I might get hurt. B, it's my finisher and I'm losing the match so why would I do that off the cage?' He goes, 'Hmm, good point.'"

"In my mind, I'm thinking, hang on, this is NXT. This is the training ground to get me to WWE. I'm not gonna risk getting hurt here to then jeopardize going there. I've kind of kept that philosophy now, saying, 'Hey, I'm not gonna risk getting hurt today because then I won't be able to wrestle tomorrow.'"

One month after battling Joe inside the steel structure, Balor was called up to WWE's main roster in the 2016 WWE Draft. The following month, Balor defeated Seth Rollins to claim the title of WWE's first ever Universal Champion. A mid-match shoulder injury, however, forced him to relinquish the title shortly thereafter. Eight years later, Balor is now one-half of the WWE World Tag Team Championships, and is slated to remain with WWE through 2029.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "What's The Story" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.