Finn Balor was once the name and face of WWE’s NXT brand, but losing the NXT Championship was hardly a sad moment for the Judgment Day member.
Balor, who debuted for WWE in 2014, captured the title from Kevin Owens in Japan at WWE’s Beast in the East event in July 2015.
The Irish Superstar would hold the title for 292 days, a record that was only broken in 2020 by Adam Cole.
Winning the Gold
Balor’s victory inside Sumo Hall in Tokyo would at the time be Finn’s biggest victory as part of WWE.
While speaking to Rob Armstrong for BT Sport, Balor recalled his ascension to the throne of WWE’s gold brand.
“That was one of the most full-circle moments that I’ve had in my career because not only it wasn’t in Japan, but it was in Ryogoku, which was Sumo Arena, where we wrestled for New Japan quite a lot. I actually had my final match for New Japan, in that arena, in the paint.”
Finn Balor.
Balor’s victory would end the 142-day reign of Owens, who won the title from Sami Zayn at February 2015’s NXT TakeOver: Rival.
Career Highlight
Balor’s reign on top would end off-screen at an NXT Live event in Lowell, MA at the hands of Samoa Joe.
In the interview, Balor spoke about how special the title loss off-screen meant to him.
“We’d done that on a house show. That was something that was so rare, and I remember this sheer surprise and shock of the people in the front row that just couldn’t believe what they had witnessed on a house show.
“After [292 days], I had been champion, and Joe pins the champion at a house show in Lowel. That was a special night. That, for me, is probably the coolest moment of my career.”
“That was one of my favorite nights of my career.”
Finn Balor.
Joe would lose the title to Shinsuke Nakamura before later winning it back, and along with his brief 2021 victory is the only three-time NXT Champion.
