Finn Balor on Possibly Returning to NXT Again

While his last run in NXT was initially only going to last a few months, Finn Balor's most recent tenure in NXT wound up being some of the best work of his career. Between the introduction of his "The Prince" persona, his NXT Championship run and outstanding matches with Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly and Pete Dunne, Balor's stock had skyrocketed by the time he made the jump back to Friday Night SmackDown. But even as he's trying to get a Universal Championship match with Roman Reigns, Balor hasn't closed the book on wrestling for the Black and Gold Brand.

"NXT is hard to even put into words. For a long time, European wrestling was my home. Then, I spent so much time in Japan that I really felt like Japan was my home and even if I left, I would return to Japan and finish my career there. Then, I encountered NXT and what it is and the camaraderie in the group of performers. NXT became something that was in my heart," Balor said on WWE Die Woche recently (h/t Fightful). "I used to think that other things in my career would mean more and the two times in NXT, for different reasons, have been two of the most beautiful periods in my career. Personally and professionally. I feel like I've grown so much in NXT and I feel part of the team. I bond with the guys that are there. Not only the guys in the ring but the staff behind the scenes, the producers, the trainers. Something that I really feel attached to and feel passionate about. I've had two runs there and hopefully, in the future, there will be a third."

Reigns initially agreed to face Balor for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, only for Baron Corbin to disrupt the contract signing and give John Cena the opening to insert himself in Balor's place. Check out the updated lineup for SummerSlam below:

• WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. John Cena
• WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg
• Raw Women's Championship: Nikki A.S.H. vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley
• SmackDown Women's Championship: Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks
• SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The Usos vs. The Mysterios
• United States Championship: Sheamus vs. Damian Priest
• Edge vs. Seth Rollins