Although the arrival of Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows to WWE is practically a fact, the company continues to play with rumors and expectations about it, finding in NXT champion Finn Bálor a great ally to generate interest on social media.
Now, WWE's expectation campaign has taken another step with an interview by Anthony Benigno and Dustin Wallace of WWE.com with the champion,
WWE.com: Rumors that WWE has signed AJ Styles, Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson from the Bullet Club, and Shinsuke Nakamura have been circulating on the internet all week. Can you tell us if they are true or not?
Finn Bálor: I think I was more excited than anyone to read the news about what's happening. I have had the guys from the Bullet Club, especially Karl Anderson, who is my best friend outside the ring, giving me some pieces of information that lead me to be very confident about the future of NXT and WWE. As for me, I think having some friends around here would definitely be better for me. But I can't say that I'm 100% sure it will happen...
WWE.com: Can you talk to us about your relationship with The Bullet Club?
Bálor: The Bullet Club essentially existed long before it appeared on television. Karl Anderson and I were best friends inside and outside the ring. Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale were the other foreign wrestlers in New Japan. Basically, we lived together, traveled together, ate together, drank together, and spent four years being each other's company. We were as close to each other as we were with our families because we were in another country and we all had the same problems of living in a country where English was not spoken. It was an incredible cultural contrast from where we came from. We were literally best friends. The opportunity arose for me to create a faction in New Japan, and the office said, "Would you be willing to start a faction with your friends?" and I said, "Of course, 100%, I would love to." They said, "come up with a name next week," I came up with the name, and everything came from there.
WWE.com: Nakamura was never in the Bullet Club but you have fought against him. What is your relationship with him?
Bálor: We didn't clash much in the ring. But outside the ring, I can honestly say that he was one of the genuine Japanese friends I made in the 8 years I was in Japan. I spent a lot of time with him outside the ring, living life. He is a very cultured guy and thinks outside the box. I think we earned our appreciation just by trying to be different.
WWE.com: What does the potential reception of this talent mean for WWE?
Bálor: A year and a half ago, Kevin Owens, Hideo Itami, and I arrived together. And there was a kind of buzz that helped create a special moment in NXT. I think that, potentially, what is going to happen in the next couple of months if these four names come will be even bigger. I think the growth of NXT in the last year and a half and the growth that the Bullet Club has had in the last year and a half since I left means that this will be a great feat for WWE. Nakamura, being one of the most charismatic wrestlers on the planet, is a game-changer like no one else out there. Gallows and Machine Gun are one of the best-established teams in the world. Machine Gun, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated wrestlers on the planet. For years. The fact that he is receiving so much media attention right now makes me very happy, but I am slightly disappointed that this is happening now and not 10 years ago when I met him. AJ Styles's reputation speaks for itself. He is one of the best athletes in the ring on the entire planet. To say that this would be a feat is an understatement. I think the next couple of months could change the way professional wrestling is viewed for the next 10 years.
WWE.com: You have stated that you would be happy to help shape the future of NXT instead of making your way to the main roster, but if the Bullet Club shows up on Raw, will you go with them?
Bálor: Well, I'm happy in NXT. I'm proud to be the champion and I'm proud to be the face of the Performance Center and I'm proud of the growth that NXT has had in the last year. But make no mistake: I am very ambitious. And I want to be where the most controversy is being generated, where the most attention is being aroused, and be in the center. I did it in New Japan, I did it in NXT. And maybe, in the future, if the Bullet Club were to come to Monday Night Raw, there would be no better way for Finn Bálor to make his debut than with his best friends by his side.
What do you think?