Finn Balor on Kyle O’Reilly Proving Himself Before NXT, Not Thinking About His Influence for Last Decade

– NXT World champion Finn Balor appeared on WWE’s The Bump for the first time last week ahead of his New Year’s Evil match against Kyle O’Reilly. Below are some highlights and a clip from last week’s edition of The Bump.

Finn Balor on Kyle O’Reilly not surprising him in their first match: “No, you know, as I said before, I think Kyle surprised a lot of people, but he did not surprise me. I’m aware of Kyle’s history, about what he’s done in the ring for over 15 years, and he’s proven himself in Europe. He’s proven himself in Japan. He’s proven himself in the United States, so he’s proven all around in the world in all aspects of his ability in the ring. So, maybe he’s a little bit lesser known for some of the WWE Universe, but for me, he was very proven, and it was someone I was not ready to take lightly. It was very much a feeling of, it was a match that I wanted for a long time with Kyle. It was something that we missed on the indies and we missed in Japan, and we finally got to do it at NXT.”

On his first lockup with O’Reilly: “And you know, it’s a very weird moment when you lock up with someone for the first time. You know, you learn a lot about someone. You can’t hide behind the talk. You can’t hide behind the hype. It’s really it’s the most moment you can have in pro wrestling, it’s that first lockup. And that first lockup that I had with Kyle, you learn everything. And I learned straight away that this guy is very competent in what he’s doing. He’s comfortable. He’s not nervous, and he believes in the ring at the very top. And that was just the first time that we locked up, and I can’t wait for the second time.”

On the influence he’s had on the business for the last decade: “I don’t really think about wrestling in those terms. I’m sure someday I’ll kind of sit back and look and assess what I’ve done and maybe what I’ve influenced. But right now, I’m very much focused on what I’m doing now, and there isn’t really time to sit around and dwell on what you’ve done in the last 10 years when you’re NXT champion. There’s a lot to focus on to remain champion, so I’m sure there’ll be a time where I’m long done with pro wrestling, and I’ll sit back and I’ll think about all these things. But right now, I’m very much focused on now. I’m very much focused on the future. I can’t dilute any of my attention with what was, I’m trying to build on what is and what will be.”

Finn Balor on who he wants to face next: “For me, it’s someone who has really kind of came up through the ranks similar to myself and someone who’s continued to impress recently, that’s Pete Dunne. And that’s someone who I’d love to be in the ring with. Obviously, there’s the [Karrion] Kross, there’s Priest, but for me, that match that I would love to get my teeth sunk into is Pete Dunne.”

If using the above quotes, please credit WWE’s The Bump, with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.