Finn Balor talks not relinquishing NXT Championship after suffering broken jaw; ready for return after 3-month hiatus [Exclusive]
Finn Balor is set to make his in-ring return this Wednesday at NXT New Year's Evil. The NXT Champion will defend his title against Kyle O'Reilly, the same man he faced when he broke his jaw back in October. That match, which was voted NXT Match of the Year by WWE, cost The PrinXe three months of championship reign. Luckily for him though, it didn't cost him the title.
Balor is no stranger to suffering major setbacks during title reigns. The first ever Universal Champion only held the title for one day before he had to relinquish it due to a severe shoulder injury he suffered in his match with Seth Rollins at SummerSlam.
But a little over four years later, things were different. Those in charge decided to ride the injury out instead of vacating the NXT Championship for the second time in three months.
That said, hanging on to the title, though, was the least of Finn Balor's concerns at the time.
"I'm more worried about, you know, my jaw. Obviously, your health comes before anything we do in the ring. It was a confusing couple of days. We didn't really know what was going on with regards to diagnosis. We kind of been (sic) misdiagnosed with the fact that it wasn't so bad and you know, I might be back in the ring in six weeks. And then, you know, we got a couple of second opinions thanks to WWE. And then we realized we needed surgery and it was going to be a little longer. Uh, but you know, the surgery was all taken care of. WWE handled it incredibly," said Finn Balor.
Finn Balor told SK Wrestling in an exclusive conversation that the decision for him to hang onto the NXT Championship through the injury was entirely up to WWE management. He speculated about the possible factors that went into that decision, including Karrion Kross having to relinquish the title several weeks prior to him winning it due to a shoulder injury.
Finn Balor ready for more than just PrinXe vs. O'Reilly II
Finn Balor loves professional wrestling; there's no doubt about that. He has a passion for getting in the ring and performing for the fans. After a long three months off, Balor is very excited to get back to doing what he loves.
Balor had nothing but praise for Kyle O'Reilly - his opponent at New Year's Evil - following following their first lock-up at NXT TakeOver: 31. Balor said he can't wait for round two.
"I've said it before, you learn a lot from someone when you lock up with them," Balor told SK Wrestling. "That was a great feeling. That moment we tied up, you know, I knew everything that I needed to know about Kyle. I knew he was calm. I knew he was confident. I knew that he knew what he was doing in the ring and, you know, he wasn't nervous or had any anxiety. And he really pushed me to the limits."
For more on the NXT Champion match at New Year's Evil, check out part one of our conversation with Finn Balor above. Be on the lookout for part two in the near future on the SK Wrestling YouTube Channel.