Summary

David Finlay debuted in AEW on the March 4, 2026 edition of Dynamite after reported talks with AEW, TNA, and WWE.

A new report said AEW presented the strongest offer, while another said WWE’s proposal was at a lower level and would have placed Finlay in NXT rather than on the main roster.

The report also said Finlay recently had a child and wanted to work in the United States for a schedule that allowed more time at home.

David Finlay decision points show why AEW won this signing race

AEW reportedly winning the deal with the strongest offer and immediate top-level positioning gave Finlay a cleaner short-term path than an NXT entry route, and that likely accelerated his move to Dynamite.

The family-and-schedule factor adds another concrete reason this outcome made sense for Finlay, because a U.S.-based calendar was described as a priority during negotiations.

Quotes

Quote from Dave Meltzer

“He recently had a child and that was said to be part of the reason he wanted to work in the United States, so he could be home so much more and the American groups have a better schedule. WWE wanted him to be the leader of the second generation group in NXT with Lexis King, Stacks Lorenzo, Arianna Grace and Uriah Connors (Brogan Finlay, David’s younger brother).”