Finn Balor exclusive conference interview part 1 - 'I've heard a lot of whispers'

by Daniel Falconer | 18 May 2016

Ahead of the NXT Tour across UK and Ireland next month, we got the chance to take part in an exclusive conference call with various other media outlets to ask Finn Balor some questions all about the tour, the NXT brand and much more. Find out what we, other outlets and Finn had to say in part one of the interview below:

Credit: WWE

What is it do you think about the UK and Ireland fans that lead to such a great atmosphere for NXT?

I think it's really the football culture we have back home. Obviously fans are conditioned to the chanting at all the football games and football grounds and it probably just translates right over onto NXT.

We were absolutely blown away by the fan reaction we got in the UK and Ireland [on the last tour]. A lot of people it's helped with their confidence. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan who went on the last NXT tour in December - not unknowns but lesser known stars - they really solidified their place on the roster with the help of the UK fans, with their chants.

Their 'Hey! Hey Bayley!' chants, it's transcended the UK and now it's over in NXT shows over in the States now as well. The UK and Ireland fans have really helped add a lot of atmosphere to the current NXT product that's in the US right now.

You're going to be performing at Download Festival - how do you feel about that?

Incredible, this is the first international music festival we're gonna be performing at, but we have done two or three festivals here in the United States. The atmosphere is very different, but it's always good to push yourself out of your comfort zone and wrestle in different environments. The festival atmosphere definitely has a little bit dirtier, a little bit grimier, but I'm not shy about getting my hands dirty at all, so I'm looking forward to Download Festival.

A number of NXT stars have moved up to the 'main roster', so how do you think the roster is shaping up for this NXT Tour?

It's funny because, when you look around our current roster you think, 'God, we'd be lost without that person or that person', when just a year ago we had Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews - if you looked around the roster, you'd say, 'Well, if all those people went to Raw or SmackDown, what would be left at NXT?' Well, this business has a funny way of regenerating itself and, it feels to me like the current roster is even more raw and more exciting than the one that we had two years ago.

Obviously I'm still here as part of NXT but we've got recent international signing Nakamura who's a huge star in Japan, I believe he's gonna transcend wrestling into mainstream culture. We've got Asuka who's the Women's Champion. American Alphas, Samoa Joe, Austin Aries - these are all people who have stepped in and filled the positions. In a couple months time I'm sure a couple of those people will be gone to Raw and SmackDown and they'll be over people stepping in too.

How are you feeling about your upcoming TakeOver match with Samoa Joe?

Obviously the match has been announced as a Cage match. NXT, there's a lot of firsts for me here. It was my first Ladder match at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn against Kevin Owens. We've got TakeOver coming up now in June, myself and Joe have been at it twice at TakeOver, this time it's in the cage. William Regal says it's because he wants to ensure the safety of the fans at Full Sail Arena, but I believe it's to ensure Joe won't run away! I feel like this thing's been going on a long time and we just need to settle it, and the best way to settle it is in a cage.

What's your favourite cage match from the past?

The one that stands out in my mind would be the Hell in a Cell with Undertaker and Mankind. Mankind coming off the top of the cage is a moment that's lasted in everyone's memory forever.

Triple H tipped you for greatness - does that bring a different pressure or is it even something that crosses your mind?

I got a little bit of feedback from that. I haven't spoken to Triple H since then but, to be honest if I wasn't being tipped for those types of things, I'd probably feel under more pressure, you know? I'd be wondering 'what am I doing wrong?' Obviously it's nice to hear someone of his pedigree - no pun intended - to say such nice things, but you can have people talk about you all day long, you've gotta live up to the hype and I'm very aware I've got a lot of work to do. I've gotta maintain everything I'm currently putting out there. It's nice to hear, but I know the responsibility is essentially in my hands to keep performing, so I just rely on myself to keep doing that.

Female First asks: You've said before how NXT is its own brand and the last 12 months especially I think have proven that - what do you think the next logical step is for the brand?

Well obviously the Network is doing tremendous business and the exposure that we get on the Network is vital to our growth, especially internationally and I believe, the UK tour was the first testing ground for NXT going international, and I believe towards the end of 2016 we'll be going a lot further abroad. I can't really speak too much, but I've heard a lot of whispers and I know there's gonna be exciting things happening before the end of 2016.

Female First asks: How do you think NXT has helped shape present day attitudes towards wrestling?

I think it's funny because, I think NXT really caters towards the hardcore, most dedicated, niche of fans that we have and, I think it's generally looked on very positively among that group. NXT has really tried its best to please this target demographic that we have. If anything it couldn't have been anything other than a positive influence, the reactions across the board have all been positive.

It also opens people's minds to there [being] more wrestling out there. For a long time we had Raw and SmackDown and there wasn't really anything else. The NXT Universe kinda opened up channels for wrestlers to come in from the independent circuits, like myself.

Check out part 2 of our conference interview with Finn Balor by clicking here.

NXT will be heading to the UK & Ireland this June on the following dates: