Finn Balor recently discussed his decision to decline a particularly risky move during his 2016 NXT cage match with Samoa Joe. He was sharing his insights on the podcast “What’s The Story”, where he detailed the behind-the-scenes events. Balor explained that he was requested by WWE officials to execute a Coup de Grace from the apex of the cage, a proposal which he turned down.
Balor offered clarity, detailing,
“In the first run of my NXT tenure, during a cage match with Samoa Joe, the suggestion was that I should leap off the top of the cage and perform the foot stomp. My reaction was ‘no’. This was actually Michael Hayes, the primary producer, asking me, ‘Why wouldn’t you want to finish off your opponent from the top of the cage?’. My response was simple, ‘I could get hurt doing it. And, even if I didn’t, why would I execute my best move and still lose the match?’ For that, he just said, ‘Hmm, good point.'”
Balor delved into his thought process, explaining
“I was thinking, wait a minute, this is NXT. This should be a stepping stone to WWE. Why should I put myself in harm’s way here and risk jeopardizing my opportunity there? That’s an approach I’ve stuck with now, expressing, ‘No, I won’t risk injury today merely because I then won’t have the opportunity to compete tomorrow.’”
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