Finn Balor on WWE NXT Stars to Look Out For, Where He Sees Himself In Ten Years, More

AfterBuzz hosts Cathy Kelley, Mark Donica and Boxcar Superstar The Hobo recently spoke with WWE NXT Superstar Finn Balor on their "NXT Aftershow" that airs live every Thursday. The full interview can be heard at this link. The following highlights were sent in:

AfterBuzz TV: Which NXT talent do you think is underrated and people should look out for?

Finn Balor: There’s a lot of guys you know, obviously for different reasons. One guy you know I think doesn’t get the credit he deserves is Scott Dawson. He’s a tremendous, tremendous competitor and I would love to get in there one-on-one with him. I’m also a big fan of Enzo and Cass. I don’t know how that would work with teaming up with them in a six man tag team, but I’m a big fan of their work too.

ABTV: We recently had CJP (CJ Parker) on the show, he’s planning to work the indies and wrestle in Japan. Did you give him any advice?

Finn Balor: We spoke about it….CJ was someone I was fortunate enough to get to work with when he was still here. He’s a tremendous competitor…The indie circuit is a tough circuit, but you know there’s a lot of good people out there. There is a lot of places you can learn. There’s a lot of people you can learn from and I’m sure that he’ll spend a year or two there growing himself not only personally, but as a performer and I’m sure he’ll be back in the future even better.

ABTV: Is there anyone on the indie scene you think WWE should have their eye on?

Finn Balor: I’m a little bit biased because this fella, he started in the same gym as me in England…and hopefully he’ll be able to make the transition some day into WWE, Zack Sabre Jr. He’s doing tremendous in the independents, not only in Europe but in America you know, but he’s holding his own in Japan.

ABTV: You recently traveled with WWE overseas. How was it wrestling with your home crowd?

Finn Balor: It was quite surreal. It was only less than a year ago that I said goodbye to everyone back home in Ireland and within 10 months to be returning with the WWE main roster. Going to the 3Arena in Dublin which was an arena I used to go and watch WWE when I was a kid. To walk up through the curtain and hear the roar of the hometown crowd, that was incredible.

ABTV: There have been many rumors that you will soon accept John Cena’s open challenge for the US Title. Do you see that happening in the near future?

Finn Balor: Well, Believe it or not, in London when John was in the ring making the open challenge, I was actually putting my gear on trying to get into the ring…but I just got beat to the punch.

ABTV: Where do you see yourself in 10 years and do you have a plan after wrestling?

Finn Balor: I live by the motto “Take one step at a time.” Obviously, there are a lot of short-term goals that I want to achieve, both at NXT and WWE. In 10 years time, maybe I’ll be Triple H’s right hand man, pulling the strings up in the office and helping coordinate this incredible company.

NXT sells out in California debut during WrestleMania 31 Week

The next generation of WWE has been making a huge impact since NXT’s arrival on WWE Network in February 2014. The past year of live specials, large name signings and epic battles inside the squared circle all seemed to be building toward something even bigger.

That “something even bigger” finally came, as NXT truly marked its territory in the sports-entertainment world Friday night, when a sold-out crowd of 5,000-plus fans crammed into the San Jose State University to see the future of WWE in action.

“I had to take a moment and see everybody out there,” San Jose native Bayley told WWE.com about entering the arena for her first match in her hometown since relocating to Florida two and a half years ago to join WWE’s developmental system. “As I got closer to the ring, I started seeing my mom, my nephew and my sisters. Then I looked up and saw all my friend and people with signs. This is my hometown and they were extra supportive. It’s a cool feeling.”

Rhyno, who has experienced some raucous crowds in his day, summed up the NXT Universe in one word: “Insane,” he said following his match in San Jose.

That feeling of excitement wasn’t just in the jam-packed arena. While Finn Bálor entered in full war paint, Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady brought the crowd to its feet with their trademark trash talk. NXT’s Divas showed why the spotlight is on them, and the backstage area was bustling with current Superstars, Legends and Hall of Famers jostling for a good view of the show on the arena floor or around monitors behind the curtain. They were as fired up as any fan to see the next generation ply their craft and offer a few pointers when they could.

“We want to be around people that are like we were, just hungry,” Sean Waltman said. “Being around people like that is pretty sweet.”

Waltman was joined backstage by WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, while fellow Hall member Jim Ross took the show in from ringside. Even WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon stopped by San Jose State to see the future of WWE for himself.

For Superstars that have been a part WWE’s developmental system at different points in its evolution, the sight of thousands of fans packing in to watch the future is staggering.

“It’s super-impressive to see how huge it’s become,” said Seth Rollins, the first-ever NXT Champion. “I never could have imagined this when I signed a developmental contract and walked into a warehouse in Tampa.My first show was in front of 12 people. “

There was no one more moved by the outpouring of support for NXT than Triple H, who took on the developmental system and molded it into what it has become. The WWE COO made a surprise appearance at the event to thank the fans for making NXT’s California debut a huge success, and assure them that this is only the beginning of NXT’s rise.

Rhyno thinks that the reason for NXT’s astronomical success during WrestleMania Week and beyond is simple.

“At NXT, everybody works so hard, from the bottom to the top. The competition is great and the fans see that,” he said. “It’s special.”

Recap of WWE NXT at San Jose State University

WWE NXT held their biggest event yet on Friday night at San Jose State University with between 4,500 and 5,000 fans in attendance. Thanks to Ryan Aziz and Corey Montgomery for the following results:

* JoJo sang the National Anthem and even before that there was a crazy buzz in the air. The crowd was fired up and ready to go. Corey Graves came in the ring to kick off the show but was met with "you f--ked up" chants because his mic didn't work. Graves talked about how far NXT has come and got a chant going.

* Hideo Itami defeated Tyler Breeze in the opener after GTS. This was an awesome match, maybe it was just the setting but this was a lot better than their recent TV matches. The crowd was chanting for GTS early on and Itami went for it during the match, finally nailing it after a big corner dropkick. Itami got the win and was really fired up feeding off the crowd.

* Jason Jordan defeated Bull Dempsey after an Exploder suplex. Dempsey got decent heel heat for this entrance and controlled most of the match. Jordan looked alright in the ring but he didn't get much of a reaction at all.

* Alexa Bliss and Bayley defeated Dana Brooke and Becky Lynch in a great Divas bout. Bayley came out to a huge hometown reaction that carried on. Bayley hit her suplex on Becky for the win and had a pretty big celebration after the match. She was interviewed by Greg Hamilton I believe it was and called it the coolest night of her life. Becky Lynch was really impressive in this match and played the heel role well.

* Solomon Crowe defeated Kalisto by submission with a Stretch Muffler. They did a lot of back and forth wrestling and a lot of mat wrestling but it was done well. They eventually made their way to the ropes and the floor. Crowe blocked a splash and put Kalisto into the Muffler for the win. Crowe also got a good reaction.

* Baron Corbin defeated Rhyno with End of Days. Rhyno got a huge pop when he came out and ECW chants. They brawled like two big men should after Corbin got warmed up. Rhyno finally went for the Gore but Corbin countered and hit End of Days. Corbin turned around after the match to a Gore from Rhyno to another big pop. The crowd really loved Rhyno as he was not advertised before.

* Intermission

* Corey Graves comes out and introduces Triple H, who gets a massive reaction and "thank you" chants. Triple H is clearly having fun. Triple H called NXT the hottest thing in town and said everyone from Vince McMahon to Shawn Michaels to Sean Waltman, Stephanie McMahon and others are backstage watching. He also pointed out Jim Ross in the front row and JR's name got a massive pop, way bigger than Vince and the others. He praised NXT as the future and got another big NXT chant going.

* WWE NXT Tag Team Champions defeated Enzo Amore & Big Cass and The Vaudevillians in an Elimination Match. Carmella, Enzo and Cass got a reaction that rivaled that of Rhyno and Itami, their schtick is over like crazy. All three teams worked well and played their roles with the crowd really well. That's one of the best parts about NXT is just about everyone seems to connect in some way. Big Cass pinned one of The Vaudevillians and they were eliminated first. Carmella then tried to get involved but it backfired and Cass got hit with a cheap shot while he checked on her.

* WWE NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte by submission with the Bank Statement. The crowd has stayed hot all night but cranked it up a notch for these Divas. They chanted "this is wrestling" and "this is awesome" more than once. Lots of back and forth action several times but Charlotte's babyface comebacks were really cool. Sasha broke a pair of Figure Fours and they traded several pin attempts before Sasha dropped Charlotte into the Bank Statement and made her tap out. This was an amazing match, like Natalya vs. Charlotte. It's hard to do justice with words but hopefully this becomes available somewhere in the near future. Charlotte got a "thank you Charlotte" chant after the match.

* Sami Zayn came out to a big pop and a chant. He admitted he ha some health issues that aren't too serious but he's not cleared to compete. He talks about the NXT revolution until NXT Champion Kevin Owens interrupts on the stage. Owens cuts a promo on Sami and then the fans after they give him the "what?" treatment. Owens brags about taking Sami's title and they had more words. Sami took credit for Owens even being in NXT. They teased a fight but Owens backed off and mentioned his own recent surgery. Sami promised to get the NXT Title back once Owens is cleared. With both of them injured, they made the best of things and pulled off a really good promo segment.

* Finn Balor came out in full body paint for the main event against Adrian Neville and got a "holy s--t" chant from the crowd, who was still hot. There was a better than WrestleMania chant at one point and many other chants as they tore the house down. Balor ended up moving out of the way of Red Arrow and hitting the big stomp for the win.

Enzo Amore on Being a Product of WWE NXT, What Triple H Told Him When He Signed, Promo Work

Chad Dukes of CBS Radio Washington DC 106.7 The Fan and ChadDukesWrestling.com spoke with WWE NXT star Enzo Amore. The full interview is at this link but here are a few highlights:

Developing his promo work as a journalism major at Salisbury University:
“None of this happens overnight and Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’ve always put the pen to the pad and I’ve always had aspirations of doing what I’m doing today. Basically when you’re a writer and have a mind like mine, my mind has gone platinum multiple times and I have got a heart of gold, my heart’s in the right place. I’ve wanted to do this my whole life, promo material, when you’ve basically got a bible of promo material, I’m telling you I got so much promo material written down, I’ve forgotten more promo material than people will ever come up with. So, it’s all in my back pocket.”

Being a product of WWE NXT:
“I never was in a wrestling ring before I stepped foot into a WWE ring, so I am a product of NXT. I trained under Bill DeMott. I did a lot of my promo work with Dusty Rhodes. Those two guys were so instrumental in my career, I feel like I never could just completely take that step out of NXT. I owe it to the fans, I owe it to the people around me, the trainers, the coaches. That’s what you see in our product, you see people who are hungry and those people who are coming back, pulling double duty, they’re hungry, they wanna compete. The NXT environment is so competitive.”

Getting a shot from Triple H:
“He had started training with my strength coach. From the age of 14 I had been training with Joe DeFranco from DeFranco’s Training Systems out of New Jersey, they do a lot of combine training. I had played college football, I had always lifted and was a huge fan of the sports entertainment business, more particularly the WWE. Huge fan of DX- Shawn Michaels and Triple H. One day I was working out at DeFranco’s gym and Joe came up to me and said, ‘I got a phone call from a guy named Paul Levesque, who wants me to train him.’ My jaw just hit the ground.”

“After about a year of him training with Hunter, I made a YouTube video… I was always training so basically I gave Joe a link to a YouTube page that had a compilation of me lifting, running, boxing, and then I cut a promo at the end of it on the Hudson River around the time the Jersey Shore was popular. Came at the Jersey Shore people’s necks, a little disrespect, hit ‘em with a little 1-2 combo, the haymaker pancaker and badaboom, the realest guy in the room was born.”

“He showed it to Hunter and Hunter just gave me a tryout. He’s our boss and he’s very approachable out here at NXT. He gave me my first opportunity and I’ll never forget the words that he said to me when I met him, he simply said, ‘don’t screw this up.’ He probably wouldn’t remember it, but for me I hung onto those words, because that’s all he said.”

Triple H and John Cena High on Injured WWE NXT Star

Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno) revealed in his newest RF Video shoot interview that Triple H and John Cena are high up on WWE NXT star Enzo Amore. Amore is a product of DeFranco's Gym in New Jersey, where Triple H and Stephanie McMahon regularly train. Enzo has been out of action since November with a broken leg. It was reported he would be out of action for 6 months.