David Finlay has offered a candid explanation for why he chose AEW over a potential move to WWE NXT, framing the decision around far more than one factor.
Speaking on Talk Is Jericho, Finlay said the totality of AEW’s offer appealed to him: compensation, schedule, personal relationships and, crucially, the freedom to continue shaping his career on his own terms. While he acknowledged that joining WWE’s developmental brand would have brought him closer to family, he ultimately felt AEW better suited both his current standing and what he wants from his work.
Finlay is currently part of The Dogs in AEW alongside Clark Connors and Gabe Kidd. His comments make clear that the opportunity to remain connected to people he knows well was an important benefit, but not the only reason behind his decision.
Finlay Weighed the Entire AEW Package
When asked about selecting AEW rather than NXT, Finlay pointed first to practical considerations. Pay and schedule were part of the calculation, as they are for any wrestler considering a major career move. But he also emphasized that AEW offered an environment where he could keep pursuing the approach that has brought him to this point.
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“Just overall package of obviously pay and schedule… All my friends are in AEW. My brother and dad are in NXT. It would have been cool but it’s like, ‘No, I want to go keep doing what I’m doing, have the freedom to do what I want to do.’ If I can be with my friends, that’s a great bonus.”
Finlay’s answer reflects the reality that a decision between promotions is rarely reducible to a single point. A wrestler’s financial situation, travel demands, professional support system and degree of creative latitude can all play a significant role. For Finlay, AEW apparently offered a combination that aligned with both his immediate priorities and the wider direction he wants for his career.
The family element made the alternative especially notable. Finlay said his brother and father are in NXT, and he recognized that it could have been meaningful to work in the same system. Yet he did not present that possibility as enough to outweigh the advantages he sees in AEW.
Freedom Was a Central Part of the Decision
The most revealing part of Finlay’s remarks was his focus on freedom. He said he wanted to continue doing what he has been doing rather than enter a structure in which he might have felt required to start over in a more fundamental way.
That does not mean Finlay dismissed NXT or the potential of a WWE run. In fact, his acknowledgment that joining his family there “would have been cool” suggests that he understood the appeal. However, he drew a clear line between appreciating that possibility and believing it was the right professional choice.
Finlay’s comments point to the value he places on autonomy at this stage. He sees himself as someone who has already established a body of work and proven what he can bring to a major wrestling environment. Moving into NXT, in his view, could have required him to reintroduce himself under a different set of expectations.
“I think I would have struggled with re-humbling myself to the level that they would have wanted me to humble myself to. It’s like, ‘I’ve already been here. I’ve already proven myself.’”
The phrase “re-humbling” is particularly telling. Finlay was not merely comparing two schedules or two locker rooms. He was considering whether a change in promotion would also demand a reset in how he was positioned, perceived and expected to operate. His choice indicates that he did not feel a reset was the best use of his experience.
For performers who have already spent years building credibility, the question is often not simply where they can appear next. It is whether the next environment will allow them to build on their previous work or require them to begin again from a lower rung. Finlay’s comments suggest he saw AEW as the option that more naturally allowed him to continue forward.
Friends in AEW Added Another Layer
Finlay also placed real value on the relationships he has in AEW. “All my friends are in AEW,” he said, making it clear that the company’s roster was personally familiar to him before he arrived. That does not eliminate the business considerations he mentioned, but it does help explain why AEW felt like a more comfortable fit.
Professional wrestling can be an intensely demanding line of work, with travel, physical strain and constant pressure attached to performing at a high level. Having trusted friends and collaborators nearby can make a meaningful difference. Finlay described that element as a “great bonus,” reinforcing that it supported his decision even if it was not the sole driver.
That dynamic is visible in his current role with The Dogs. Alongside Connors and Kidd, Finlay is aligned with wrestlers who are now part of his AEW presentation. The group gives him an immediate connection within the promotion rather than positioning him as an isolated newcomer.
There is also a broader point in Finlay’s response: familiarity does not have to mean comfort in a negative sense. In this case, being around friends appears to be part of a professional setting where Finlay believes he can continue working at the level and in the style he prefers. He did not describe AEW as an easy option. He described it as the place where the practical terms and professional freedom made the most sense.
NXT Offered a Different Kind of Appeal
Finlay’s comments did not attack WWE NXT or suggest that it lacked value as a destination. Instead, he laid out why the brand’s potential appeal did not outweigh what AEW offered him.
The obvious draw was family. With his brother and father in NXT, Finlay would have entered a setting containing an important personal connection. The prospect of being in the same promotion as family members can be significant, particularly in wrestling, where family legacy and shared experience often carry substantial emotional weight.
Still, Finlay’s remarks show that he did not want family proximity to become the defining factor in a major career decision. He chose the path that he felt would preserve his momentum and independence. In doing so, he expressed confidence that he has already reached a point where he should be able to move ahead on the basis of what he has accomplished.
His stance also highlights the different ways wrestlers can assess NXT. For some, it can represent a place to develop, adapt and establish a new identity within WWE’s system. Finlay’s assessment was more specific to his own career. He did not want to feel as though he had to prove from scratch that he belongs at a high level.
What Finlay’s Comments Say About His AEW Direction
Finlay’s decision was rooted in a desire to maintain control over his direction. He wants the freedom to keep doing what he is doing, and AEW offered a setting where he believed that was possible. The presence of friends, the schedule and pay considerations, and his current place in The Dogs all reinforced that conclusion.
Just as important, Finlay spoke with the confidence of someone who views his prior work as meaningful evidence of his value. His reluctance to “re-humble” himself was not presented as a rejection of hard work or growth. Rather, it was an assertion that he has already spent time earning his place and did not want to abandon that foundation.
That is why his explanation carries weight beyond a simple AEW-versus-NXT comparison. Finlay is talking about where he can best retain agency over his career, continue working with people he trusts and avoid a situation in which he feels his established credentials must be set aside.
For now, that path is AEW. Finlay is a member of The Dogs with Connors and Kidd, and his comments explain the thinking behind the choice that put him there. The decision was not solely about one promotion having something the other did not. It was about finding the overall situation that best matched his priorities: the right package, the right schedule, familiar allies and the ability to keep moving forward without sacrificing the freedom he values.
Finlay’s comments were made on Talk Is Jericho.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.