David Finlay says ‘the choice was easy’ to join AEW over WWE
Once speculated to join WWE, former NJPW star David Finlay recently crushed those rumors and began his new journey with AEW.
Recently, speaking to Bill Pritchard of WrestleZone, Finlay explained why the decision to join AEW over WWE was an “easy” choice, despite having his family there.
Reuniting with Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors on AEW Dynamite, the trio reformed their War Dogs stable. Despite having his brother and father working in WWE, Finlay made a financial decision to join Tony Khan’s promotion and reunite the War Dogs with Kidd and Connors.
“Let’s see, I was in New Japan for 11 years, and every single year there were rumblings that I was going to leave. Every single year, they kept growing louder and louder. Finally, I got over doing a 14-hour flight four times a month and decided I wanted to leave Japan behind,” Finlay said.
“Obviously, I’ve got family ties in another company, and I sat and thought about it. I was like, well, you know, I’ve never made a dime with my brother,” he continued. “I’ve never made a dime with my father. And I’ve made fat stacks of cash with these boys here. So the choice was easy.”
Finlay joined AEW on the March 4 episode of Dynamite, where he joined forces and helped Kidd and Connors out in their rivalry with Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin.
Finlay’s brother, Uriah Connors (Brogan Finlay), and father, Fit Finlay, are currently together in WWE NXT as a part of the Birthright stable.
Shounak Chakrabarti is an experienced sports journalist with a lifelong passion for athletics and storytelling. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Journalism from the University of Leeds and joined F4WOnline in 2025.
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