‘Daniel Bryan’ Thinks ‘Finn Balor’ Should Have Made his RAW Debut “a year and a half ago”

In a sit-down interview with Michael Cole, Former WWE World Champion and current SmackDown!Live GM Daniel Bryan, layeth some home truths with regards to oft-forgotten but beloved brand, NXT.

In response to the former NXT, and mega-over, superstar Finn Balor’s recent sidelining injury. Bryan, no stranger to harsh bumps himself, had some interesting commentary on indie-darlings honing their craft down in NXT:

“Finn Balor should have been up here a year and a half ago. Right? And I understand that NXT is a very important part of our programming. A Very important part of the Network. But he was a superstar when we signed him and some people have to adjust to the WWE style [-] but that takes no more than six months.”

Although the respected Wrestler makes it clear that NXT is important to the WWE Business model and building new up-and-coming stars. Bryan goes on to comment that “Samoa Joe should already be here, Shinsuke Nakamura should already be here; those are guys in their primes and they’re down in NXT right now and they should be here on SmackDown Live or RAW.”

It’s hard to argue with Daniel’s points when it comes to known indie wrestlers biding their time in NXT while still facing the possibility of career ending injuries every-time they step into a WWE ring. Before Balor even made it onto Monday Night RAW, the first Universal Champion had already recovered from a serious Knee injury that kept him out of action for just under two months. It does however seem as if the GM underestimates how integral the small brand is when it comes to introducing smaller Pro-wrestling stars to the larger WWE universe .

Stars like Balor, Joe and Nakamura may have already made their name in other corners of Pro-Wrestling. But for better-or-for-worst WWE is the pinnacle of Sports Entertainment, which means sometimes for fans it is the first port of call for their wrestling fix. Not everyone is scouring the internet to watch AJ Styles Vs Shinsuke Nakamura’s Wrestle Kingdom 10 match or even still watching TNA. So how over would an off-camera name changed Prince Devitt be with a largely ignorant crowd or little kids that are only at live events because their parents took them.

It’s not to say that someone as talented as Finn wouldn’t have made a splash debuting on RAW straight away, he probably would have. But his stint in NXT shouldn’t be overlooked or seen as a waste of time when Triple H’s baby is without question honing stars to take the reigns from the current faces of the WWE.

At the moment former TNA star Bobby Roode is honing his ‘Glorious‘ Gimmick in front of the Full Sail audience. Whose to say if Roode will use it when he makes it onto the Main Stage but where is the harm in testing it out with an NXT crowd first?

The interview (which you can watch above), concludes with Cole drumming up heat for E!’s Total Bellas which stars Daniel Bryan alongside his wife Brie Bella, Nikki Bella and SmackDown! star John Cena. A prospect that causes Bryan to visible cringe, highlighting perhaps how the wrestler really feels about the Total Divas‘ spin-off show:

“It was a really tough part of my life and for people who are entertained by that, you can see it. I don’t necessarily want to relive it but yeah, it’ll go there.”

For all your SmackDown! Live News & Reviews, Follow @mitchrated and all of the #SkatronixxxWrestling team only on Skatronixxx.com

The NXT Review – May 4th 2016

Whats up Wrestling Peeps! Welcome back to The TNA Review – nah I just kid – Of course its NXT, the proving ground for future WWE Superstars and TNA has-beens … Okay, I’ll stop.

Joking aside, my fallacious attitude toward former TNA stars entering NXT (and by-in-large WWE) is rather limited regarding my knowledge of the number two wrestling company in the US. Yes I’m familiar with the AJ Styles, the Samoa Joe’s and Ol’Sparkle-Pants himself Austin Aires of the wrestling world, but Eric Young is in my blind spot when it comes to his tenure with Impact Wrestling.

I could hop on the inter-web of course and head-on over to the YouTube’s but hey, we’ve got him here on NXT. So with an obvious program against our New NXT Champion Samoa Joe in the offing, I’ll let Young introduce himself to me the way Triple H has intended it. Inside an NXT ring.

A quick BTDubs for a second that will either enhance your WWE viewing or enrage you to no end (your choice really). Why is a McMahon – a seven year absentee Shane O’Mac no less – allowed to take credit for all the shiny new NXT talent on the Main Roster?

Granted its storyline and the machinations of Heel and Face alignment dictating who fans will cheer for. But I can’t help but feel bad for Triple H who created a Show/Brand/Training ground which is ushering in a self admitted New Era in WWE. Rather than Trips getting the limelight, his absentee Brother-in-law who jumped of a Cell at WrestleMania is garnering praise.

Don’t worry Trips, the NXT Fans know the truth.

I admit, I tend to go hyperbolic at times, its a flaw that I’m working on. I stand by the blind faith I have in Nia Jax’s ability however to subvert the Monster Heel gimmick she has been given. Okay yes maybe squash-match after squash-match doesn’t help my faith based theory. But Jax has something special to her that former Monster Heel’s like Beth Phoenix or WWE’s version of TNA star Awesome Kong, Karma, failed to maintain and capitalise on.

That and it also doesn’t hurt being Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Cousin. Although, with The Uso’s being turned into nothing but Bullet Club fodder … maybe it can hurt.

Tye Dillinger never fails to make me smile. Moving on from his entertaining match against Shinsuke Nakamura a few weeks ago, we get another – excuse the pun – Perfect 10 match here. Both Dillinger and Austin Aries were on top form. Well have you come to expect no less from Dillinger? Well you shouldn’t and Aries has finally shown why he should be in the conversation for a Top Spot also.

Of course the Perfect 10 fell to Aires but as the Dolph Ziggler of the yellow brand, Dillinger will find himself in a Championship match sooner rather than later, before languishing on the Mid-Card for the entirety of his career.

But lets focus on the positives shall we.

Speaking of positives, it was refreshing to get Young’s debut match coincide with his first appearance on NXT. Rather than teasing us we got our first glance at Samoa Joe’s next competitor for his Championship gold.

The match spoke to the pairs familiarity with one another displaying hard-hitting shots and outburst of speed highlighting Joe’s speed and agility. Young was kept closer to the mat than I would have liked giving my aforementioned inexperience with Young’s wrestling skill-set. But a dominant Joe is what the crowd want to see, especially given his recent win over Finn Balor, and that is what they got.

With Balor’s expected return next week, we could see the set-up to the rumoured Steel Cage pay-off to their dogged feud before we get any in-depth program between Samoa Joe and Eric Young.

If tonight’s match is any indication of what these two can do however, we have a lot more to come.

For all your NXT-News-&-Review, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx