Finn Balor on Missing Wrestlemania 33, Bray Wyatt, and Career Goals

The Orlando Sentinel had a recent interview with Finn Balor discussing missing both the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania 33, opinions on Bray Wyatt, and evolving his wrestling career goals.

On the topic of missing both this year’s Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania events, Balor stated he was upset the most at missing out on this year being his first ever Wrestlemania. He missed out on being included in the plans for Wrestlemania 33 by around a week due to his shoulder needing a bit more time for healing.

“I was obviously heartbroken not to be included at WrestleMania. There was talk about putting me in the Royal Rumble [in January] but when I missed that deadline by a week or 10 days, everything was put on hold [creatively]. WrestleMania just wasn’t meant to be.”

On the topic of Bray Wyatt, Balor personally believes Bray is one of the most underrated stars in the WWE and is really looking forward to their feud due to having to adapt his regular wrestling style.

“Bray is an interesting cat. I’ve admired him for a long time. I think he’s one of the most underrated talents we have in the ring and on the mic, if you can ever get the mic off of him. He’s a huge man – it’ll be hard to get a hold on him when I can’t get my arms around him – but I look forward to adapting my style for him. I’m a big fan of seeing smaller guys vs. big men.”

Later in the interview, Balor was asked about his career goals and how they have changes over the years. Balor stated he originally wanted to become the best technical wrestler on the planet before shifting into a more performer focused route in recent years.

“When I first broke in, I wanted to be the best technical wrestler on the planet. That was what I enjoyed, being in the ring in the moment and being the best athlete. When I was about 12 years in, something clicked and I realized there was more to it than that, the performance side of it. We all grow and change as people; that was just when my goals shifted and my career changed. That’s where I am now as a performer. One day, it may shift again and I’ll be doing backflips all the time like [fellow wrestlers] Ricochet or Neville, but this is where I am now.”