Finn Balor Remembers Choosing WWE Over NJPW

Before he joined WWE in 2014, Finn Balor was a mainstay of New Japan Pro Wrestling. As Prince Devitt, he dominated the Junior Heavyweight division, created the Bullet Club, and was one of the most recognizable foreign talents in the promotion. So much so that he genuinely considered staying with NJPW in 2014 over signing with WWE, but during a recent appearance on Chris Van Vliet's "Insight" podcast, Balor revealed why he ended up calling time on his NJPW run after eight long years.

"WWE had came knocking a couple of times and I'd always kind of kicked it back because I was very happy in New Japan. I wanted to finish my–I wanted to do my whole career there, and I was trying to negotiate a 10-year contract and there was an issue. This was when I was 34, I was trying to negotiate a 10-year contract to stay there for the rest of my life. There was an issue because New Japan was owned by another company, and that contract only lasted for four years. So they could only give me a four-year contract, and I'd been there like eight years and I'd seen how when guys got to their mid-to-late 30s, they'd kind of like phase them out. I thought 'Well this will get me to my mid-to-late 30s and I'll be phased out and I want to wrestle longer than that.'"

Balor explained that WWE was signing younger talent at the time he was considering making the move and realized it might be his last chance to jump ship. It wasn't until he had a conversation with his dad who reminded Balor that he grew up watching WWE and that it was always his dream to wrestle there, and while he was enjoying success in Japan, Balor's dad knew it was time for his son to roll the dice. Balor followed his dad's advice and he's very glad that he did.

Please credit "Insight" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.