Finn Balor ‘pictured spending his whole career in Japan’ before joining WWE
A former WWE Universal and NXT Champion, Finn Balor, recently opened up and reflected on his thoughts on leaving NJPW for WWE.
An NJPW veteran and often known as the inaugural leader of Bullet Club, Balor left NJPW in 2014 to begin a fresh career in WWE NXT. Speaking on Talk’n Shop Live, Balor recalled how he had pictured spending his entire career in Japan before starting with WWE.
“I think what we had in Bullet Club when I was there was a real special time. Leaving when it was that hot was kind of bittersweet. I had known for a long time that I wanted to move on, but it’s always bittersweet. And I cried, obviously, leaving New Japan. That was super emotional.
“I kind of always pictured my whole career in Japan up until that point. I just really wanted to roll the dice in WWE and give it one try. And if it’s gonna be a year, it’s gonna be a year, whatever, and then go back to Japan,” Balor said.
At NJPW, Balor was a 3-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, 6-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, and even won the 2010 and 2013 editions of Best of the Super Juniors. He jumped ships to WWE in 2014 and has remained a vital part of the promotion since then.
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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