Finn Bálor was The Fiend’s first victim, and following a virtual squash match at SummerSlam 2019, the Irish wrestler was off television for two months. He used this time off to marry sports journalist Verónica Rodríguez and heal up. He’d return to NXT on October 2nd, which was when AEW Dynamite debuted on TNT with WWE, trusting his star power would help the show in a ratings battle with their new competition.
Now in an interview with Fox Sports, Bálor has discussed his return to NXT, which at the time was considered a demotion by some. He’d also admit that he wants to return to one of WWE’s two main shows, feeling that he didn’t accomplish all he could during his previous run.
The office came to me and said, “Hey, we know you need a little time to regroup and refocus, and we could use your help in NXT. Would you be open to the option of returning there for a little while? Maybe it’s three months. Maybe it’s six months. But you recalibrate your character and then go back to RAW or SmackDown.” Three months turned into six months, turned into winning the title, turned to a year and a half now. I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s been a great learning experience for me.
I grew up as a wrestling fan watching WWE, and that’s, essentially, where I want to be performing, I feel like in my last run there, I wasn’t doing myself justice. I needed to change something, and the change came with NXT to kinda figure out who I was again. I’ve managed to do that to some level, and I’m definitely hopeful that a return to Raw or SmackDown will happen in the future.Finn Bálor
Bálor is one of the best wrestlers in the business and is known worldwide. With NXT now on Tuesdays and no longer acting as counterprogramming for Dynamite, it feels there is little point in him being on the WWE’s third brand. Having been away for almost 18 months, a return to either Raw or SmackDown would open numerous fresh rivalries. Fans would readily accept the former Universal Champion being slotted into a title program with either Bobby Lashley or Roman Reigns. Additionally, the return of his “Demon” persona seems an ideal opponent for The Fiend, especially considering the duo’s history.
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