Finn Balor Names A Title Loss As “Coolest Moment Of My Career”

Finn Balor has discussed the reasons why losing a title belt was actually one of the highlights of his career to date.

Associated as one of the top names in the building of NXT’s black and gold brand, Finn Balor had a well-received run as NXT Champion and helped to push the brand to being seen on a par with RAW and SmackDown.

Finn Balor’s victory for the NXT Championship came at WWE Beast in the East, a WWE Network special which also included a match between Brock Lesnar and Kofi Kingston. In a discussion with Rob Armstrong of BT Sport, Balor has talked about why the victory and returning to the Land of the Rising Sun was so special for him personally.

That was one of the most full-circle moments that I’ve had in my career because not only it wasn’t in Japan, but it was in Ryogoku, which was Sumo Arena, where we wrestled for New Japan quite a lot. I actually had my final match for New Japan, in that arena, in the paint also, against Taguchi. When I left that night, I figured, ‘I may never return here ever again.’ I think it was maybe almost a year to the day that I returned.

I was in the ring against Kevin Owens, someone I didn’t know very well going into NXT apart from, like, on the indie circuit, and we bonded over the journey we were making, adapting to life in NXT, in WWE, in the USA; to get the share the ring with him that night was very cool.

Finn Balor went on to discuss why losing the title to Samoa Joe on a house show became one of the coolest moments of his career.

An even more special moment for me was when I actually lost the title against Samoa Joe, and we’d done that on a house show. That was something that was so rare, and I remember this sheer surprise and shock of the people in the front row that just couldn’t believe what they had witnessed on a house show.

After [292 days], I had been champion, and Joe pins the champion at a house show in Lowel. That was a special night. That, for me, is probably the coolest moment of my career, I think. Just the sheer shock and then joy of the fans; having Joe as champ, you know, someone who’d had such a long career and really paid his dues and had become such an integral part of NXT. The, for me, someone who had learned so much from, not only in NXT but before that. We obviously have a very close relationship as well. So that was one of my favorite nights of my career.

Currently appearing on Monday Night RAW as a member of The Judgment Day, Finn Balor has previously discussed why he feels his run with the faction is giving him more creativity.

With thanks to Fightful for the transcription.