Finn Balor Wants More Cross-Promotion In Pro Wrestling

WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor recently spoke with Bleacher Report's Graham Matthews to promote tonight's title defense against Pete Dunne at the NXT "Takeover: Vengeance Day" event.

Balor talked about his recent NXT TV confrontation with WWE Hall of Famer Edge, who teased a potential WrestleMania 37 title match between the two. It's likely that Edge will challenge WWE Champion Drew McIntyre or WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, but Balor believes the possibility of a match against Edge is a testament to how much the NXT brand has grown over the years, and how it deserves to be represented on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

"I feel, and rightfully so, a lot of justification and thanks for a lot of the hard work NXT has done over the last couple of years," Balor said. "We've been building the brand, and it's really grown into a third individual brand of WWE.

"I think all the titles should be held at the same level. That's definitely the way Edge sees it, and I think that's the way a lot of people see it. I have no doubt one day the NXT title will defended at WrestleMania."

Regarding Edge, Finn talked about why he admires The Rated R Superstar for his in-ring accomplishments, and because o how they share a bond outside of the ring after Edge was forced to retire in 2011 due to injury.

"[He's] one of the people I really admire for how gracefully he transitioned out of WWE and moved on to that next step of his life," Balor said of Edge. "We had spoken about that in depth many times, so to see him back now is very, very surreal. I never even entertained the possibility of us working together with his situation.

"For me, it's very exciting. Obviously, I've gotten to be in the ring with all of the top guys in WWE, and Edge is the one I have not been in the ring with, so that's a box I want to check. And if we can do it at WrestleMania, all the better."

Balor also expressed hope that there will be more cross-promotion work in pro wrestling. AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, NJPW's KENTA and Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers have recently come together from different promotions to represent The Bullet Club, and while it's likely we will not see WWE or NXT get involved in that, Balor hopes to break down the barrier as he sees no reason why it cannot and should not happen.

"I know there's a lot of cross-brand work going on, which is something I've been an advocate for for years," Balor said. "I don't feel like we should be limited to what our contract says or what company we work for. I feel like wrestling on the whole can be better if we all worked together, so if that means me going to Japan or me going to Europe or me going to Mexico, I'm down to do that.

"I'm all for the open-border policy, not just between countries but companies as well."