Finn Bálor says NXT UK starved the European wrestling scene.
In 2017, WWE held a tournament to crown the inaugural United Kingdom Champion, won by Tyler Bate. Then, the following year, the company began filming NXT UK as a weekly show as many of Britain and Ireland’s best performers inked deals with WWE to be part of the brand. Now, Finn Bálor has reflected on how NXT UK may have harmed the local independent scene.
Speaking to Cody Rhodes on the latest episode of What Do You Wanna Talk About?, Bálor discussed the inception of NXT UK, mentioning how he feels it it starved the British and Irish wrestling scene of its talent.
“When NXT UK started, which was a huge thing at the time for British and European wrestlers, I feel like it kind of took all the talent and it starved all the indies, and it took a long time for them to rebuild. For a lot of them, it hasn’t even happened yet because there’s no one to learn from or look up to. The guys like Tyler [Bate] and Pete [Dunne] and everyone else who came to WWE, now the younger kids don’t have anyone to learn from. I feel like there was probably a huge negative effect on the gulf of talent that WWE took out of that, I guess, territory. But slowly it’s starting to rebuild.”
-Finn Bálor
NXT UK officially went on hiatus following the Worlds Collide event in September 2022. At the time, it was said that the brand would return as NXT Europe the following year, although the rebrand is yet to take place. As of writing, it’s unclear when the change will come into play.
When it comes to the UK wrestling scene, promotions like PROGRESS and Revolution Pro Wrestling are still heavily prominent, while companies like Pro Wrestling EVE, ATTACK, and TNT are continuing to grow.
Elsewhere during the interview, Bálor explained the creation of ‘The Demon’ and detailed his issues with the way WWE utilised the gimmick. You can read more about that here.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on NXT UK, including its transition into NXT Europe as soon as we hear more.
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