Add as a preferred source on Google Finn Bálor could have taken a completely different path before becoming one of WWE‘s biggest names of the last decade.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the Irish star revealed that his original plan was to sign a 10-year contract with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he wrestled as Prince Devitt, and spend the rest of his career in Japan.
“I always tell a story about when I went to the Performance Center. I started with NXT I think I was 34, which was quite late to start. WWE had came knocking a couple times, and I’d always kind of kicked it back, because I was very happy in New Japan, 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.
Then 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. I’d been there like eight years, and I’d seen how when guys got to like their mid to late 30s, they kind of phased 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.
I’m 34 and this is 12 years ago in WWE, where the roster was a lot younger, they were signing much younger guys, and I thought, oh, this could be my last opportunity, so that’s kind of the mindset I had. I was talking with my dad about the decision: should I roll the dice in WWE, or should I stay in New Japan? I’ll never forget my dad said, ‘Son, you grew up watching WWF, that was your dream, you’re in Japan, you’re doing great, you’ve done it for eight years, but roll the dice.’ I’m glad I did.”
That decision ended up completely changing the course of his career. Bálor debuted on NXT in November 2014 alongside Hideo Itami and quickly became one of the faces of the brand.
Before that, in Japan, Bálor was a three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, a six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, and the original leader of Bullet Club, a stable that would go on to become one of the most influential stables in modern pro wrestling.
In WWE, Bálor became the first-ever Universal Champion in company history, while also capturing the Intercontinental Championship, United States Championship, NXT Championship, and multiple tag team titles.