In a conversation on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Bálor detailed the circumstances leading up to his WWE signing. He explained that at age 34, WWE had approached him previously, but he had remained content in New Japan, intending to spend his entire career there. His desire was to secure a 10-year contract.

I started with NXT I think I was 34, which was quite late to start. WWE had came knocking a couple times, and I’d always kind of kicked it back because I was very happy in New Japan, wanted to do my whole career there, and I was trying to negotiate a 10-year contract and there was an issue. This was when I was 34; I was trying to negotiate a 10-year contract to stay there for the rest of my life. Then there was an issue because New Japan was owned by another company and that contract only lasted for four years, so they could only give me a four-year contract. I’d been there like eight years, and I’d seen how when guys got to like their mid-to-late 30s, they kind of phased them out. I thought, well, this will get me to my mid-to-late 30s and I’ll be phased out and I want to wrestle longer than that. I’m 34 and this is 12 years ago in WWE, where the roster was a lot younger, they were signing much younger guys, and I thought, oh, this could be my last opportunity, so that’s kind of the mindset I had.

I was talking with my dad about the decision: Should I roll the dice in WWE, or should I stay in New Japan? I’ll never forget my dad said, ‘Son, you grew up watching WWF, that was your dream, you’re in Japan, you’re doing great, you’ve done it for eight years, but roll the dice.’ I’m glad I did.

Bálor noted that the ownership structure of New Japan at the time limited the contract length to four years, a stark contrast to his desired 10-year commitment. Observing how talent in their mid-to-late 30s were often phased out of the promotion, Bálor felt a four-year deal would only see him through that age bracket, and he wished to continue wrestling beyond that. The prospect of joining WWE, with a generally younger roster and signing younger talent, presented what he perceived as a final opportunity.

He discussed the significant decision with his father, who ultimately advised him to take a chance on WWE, reminding him of his childhood dream of watching WWF. Bálor expressed gratitude for making that choice.

Finn Bálor is currently part of the SmackDown brand.