David Finlay is opening up about why signing with AEW instead of WWE ended up being an easy decision.
The former NJPW standout was frequently rumored to be WWE-bound during his lengthy run in Japan, particularly due to his family ties within the company.
However, Finlay ultimately chose a different path and recently made his AEW debut.
Speaking with Bill Pritchard of WrestleZone, Finlay addressed the speculation that surrounded his future and explained why joining AEW made the most sense for him — both personally and financially.
“Let’s see, I was in New Japan for 11 years, and every single year there were rumblings that I was going to leave,” Finlay said. “Every single year, they kept growing louder and louder. Finally, I got over doing a 14-hour flight four times a month and decided I wanted to leave Japan behind.”
Despite having strong family connections in WWE — including his father Fit Finlay and brother working within the company — Finlay said the final decision came down to where he had already built success.
“Obviously, I’ve got family ties in another company, and I sat and thought about it,” he explained. “I was like, well, you know, I’ve never made a dime with my brother. I’ve never made a dime with my father. And I’ve made fat stacks of cash with these boys here. So the choice was easy.”
Finlay made his AEW debut on the March 4 episode of Dynamite, aligning himself with Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors. The trio reunited their War Dogs stable during the show while aiding Kidd and Connors in their ongoing feud with Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin.
