Why Finn Balor Initially Questioned Starting His WWE Tenure in NXT

As many stars often do, Finn Balor began his WWE career in NXT. That was a move he initially questioned, but one coach taught him why it was worth it.

Finn Balor | WWE

When an accomplished wrestler signs with WWE for the first time, whether they're coming in from NJPW, AEW or the independent scene, they are often assigned to the NXT developmental brand to start out their tenure with the company.

Oftentimes, fans question the logic of such a decision. Especially when it's someone like Finn Balor, who was a multi-time champion in New Japan and formed one of the most popular factions in modern pro wrestling history.

Balor was a guest on Insight with Chris Van Vliet Thursday, and recalled reporting to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, shortly after he signed with the company in the spring of 2014.

Finn Balor | WWE

Finn Balor initially questioned starting out in NXT

"A lot of people were of the opinion of, ‘Hey, he’s an experienced guy, knows exactly what he’s doing in the ring. Why is he in NXT? He’s wasting his time in NXT.’ You hear this so much and I started to maybe believe it as well," Balor said. "I just wrestled [Kota] Ibushi in front of 42,000 people at the Tokyo Dome like four weeks ago, and now I’m in the performance center in a factory doing drills with kids who’ve never wrestled."

About three months into his WWE transition, Balor started to become impatient with the process and expressed his frustration one Monday morning.

"Terry Taylor was my coach... He’s absolutely incredible. I said, ‘Terry, I don’t want to be here. I feel like I’m just wasting my career. I’m 34, I need to be wrestling.’ He said, ‘Finn, I’m teaching you a style that you can perform for another 10 years. If you continue wrestling the way you’ve been wrestling in New Japan, you’ll last about two more years, and I want you to last longer than that.’"

Balor has now been with WWE for over 12 years and counting. He signed a five-year contract extension in April 2024 to continue adding to his already Hall of Fame resume, which now includes another WrestleMania singles victory, and he credits Terry Taylor for helping transform him into the performer he is today.

"He was very instrumental in kind of helping me tweak my style to be more economical with my movements, with my moves, and really to go from being a good wrestler to being a star, and that’s the person who I credit with that, and he taught me so much. I cannot speak more highly about Terry Taylor.”

Elsewhere during his conversation with CVV, Balor spoke about the night he won the inaugural WWE Universal Championship against Seth Rollins. During the match, he knew his shoulder was injured badly and that he'd be out of action for a while. He asked Seth whether they should change the finish, and Rollins told him to stick to the planned outcome.