Summary

Finn Bálor said he once pictured finishing his wrestling career in Japan, but now sees a different kind of return there.

While speaking on Stephanie McMahon's podcast, Bálor said he no longer expects to go back to Japan as an active wrestler. Instead, he floated the idea of WWE launching NXT Japan, with himself and Shinsuke Nakamura helping Paul Levesque run it.

Bálor framed the idea around his long connection to Japan and his memories of dojo life, while also noting how much it still means to perform there under the WWE banner.

Quote from Finn Bálor

"I always kind of imagined myself going back to Japan to finish my career in Japan. I didn't wanna leave Japan, but I kind of wanted to roll the dice with WWE, and give it a try, and if I had a year at NXT and then it didn't work out, I would have happily went back to Japan… I fell in love with Japan. But, I don't wanna go back to wrestling in Japan, I don't think. I'd love to go back to Japan, and spend time there… When we go back with WWE, it's absolutely incredible. To perform for WWE in Japan, that's the dream. Maybe we can set up an NXT Japan. Paul (Levesque) might need a right-hand man to run it… Me and Shinsuke (Nakamura) I think would do a good job over there, right? God, that would be incredible. Go back to my dojo training days."

What Bálor's NXT Japan pitch says about him and Nakamura

Bálor's comments stand out because they shift the conversation away from one last run in Japan and toward a possible long-term WWE role there. If that idea ever moved beyond fantasy, Bálor and Nakamura would be obvious names to connect to it because both men carry real history in the Japanese scene and strong credibility inside WWE.

For now, this was only Bálor sharing an idea, not any kind of announcement. Even so, it is a notable glimpse at how he sees the later stage of his career, and how Nakamura could fit into that vision as well.

Sources

Finn Bálor while speaking on Stephanie McMahon's What's Your Story? podcast