Finn Balor On His WWE NXT Status, Un-Finished Business With The Fiend, NXT Title And Legacy Goals

Finn Balor spoke with Newsweek after making his surprise return to WWE NXT this week. As noted, Balor returned on Wednesday's USA Network episode and confronted NXT Champion Adam Cole, right after Cole retained his title over Matt Riddle in the show opener.

Balor had been out of action since losing to "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt at WWE SummerSlam. He took a few months away for personal time off, which had been arranged before SummerSlam. Balor told Newsweek that returning to NXT and Full Sail Live was a huge honor. He is now feeling rested, energized and re-focused, and glad to be in front of the NXT fans.

"I've been out of the ring for about two months and out of NXT for much longer," Balor said. "To get the opportunity to return to Full Sail live on USA is a huge honor for me."

Balor told Cole in the ring on Wednesday that as of now, he is NXT once again. Balor clarified those comments with Newsweek after they asked if that means he will be working the brand full-time now.

"Right now that's what it means. I'm going to wrestle whenever, whoever I want," Balor said. "That's something I've been chasing for quite some time in my career. I don't believe in any boundaries be it weight class, country, promotion... And I want to break those boundaries. I'm here at NXT to do that."

Balor is looking forward to facing the other members of The Undisputed Era – NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong, plus NXT Tag Team Champions Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish. He also teased a possible stable to help deal with the top group of NXT.

"It's no problem. I've been part of a group before, I've been one of those guys who has been an individual [performer] for a very long time," Balor said. "But maybe you need a group to face Undisputed Era, we'll see."

Balor made it clear that he is now focused on winning the NXT Title back, which could see upcoming matches with Cole and Tommaso Ciampa, who also returned on Wednesday's show to confront Cole. While he is confident in his abilities, Balor said he's curious to see how he matches up with the current NXT roster. He also admitted being a little nervous to mix it up with the new group of NXT Superstars, who work a style that has evolved since Balor left in 2016.

"I have to be honest, it's a little nerve-wracking. The game has changed a lot in NXT since I was here," Balor said. "Seeing the match Cole and Matt Riddle put on, they are two of the absolute best in-ring competitors in the world. So it's a little nerve-wracking to get into the deep end with those guys. It's gotta be a challenge for myself in and out of the ring, and personally, to see if i can still go. It's been awhile since I've been here, and the NXT style has evolved incredibly. When I was here it was me and [Samoa] Joe, and back then, I don't want to say it was a slower pace, but it was definitely more rugged here and there. They are going fast, and it's going to be a test for me and I'm looking forward to it."

It was noted that Balor's new "wrestle whenever, whoever" mantra means we could see more to the story between Balor and Wyatt. Balor confirmed that he has un-finished business with The Fiend following the SummerSlam loss.

"Of course that's something I want to revisit," Balor revealed. "When is the time we'll do that? I don't know, but regarding The Fiend, that is some unfinished business and something I have not forgotten."

Balor also told Newsweek that he is about to "redefine and recreate" his legacy with this run in NXT. He said he just wants to continue to evolve.

"I just want to continue to evolve," he said. "Been doing this for a long time, and sometimes when you stay in the same place for too long you get a little stagnant, you rely on your old tricks and old ways and you kind of just skate past. But there's no skating here in NXT. I have to swim for sure, because It's going to be a fight."