Finn Balor Discusses Parallels With AJ Styles

Finn Balor and AJ Styles were widely considered two of the biggest signings to the WWE of the 2010s, largely due to their successes in New Japan Pro Wrestling as members of the Bullet Club. However, they never competed alongside or against one another during their respective times in the Bullet Club.

Now, the two former NJPW stars have been embroiled in a feud for the past several months, with Balor's Judgement Day waging war against AJ Styles and The O.C. In an interview with BT Sports ahead of their Survivor Series 2022 singles match, Balor talked about his history–and lack thereof–with AJ Styles.

When discussing the path it took to get to their second-ever singles encounter, Balor looked back on how much his and Styles' careers have in common. "Me and AJ have had super similar career paths," Balor explained, "We always kinda just missed each other."

Balor explains how his tenure in NJPW coincided with AJ's tenure in TNA, which kept them separate for the majority of their careers, outside of a preliminary crossover match between the two companies at Wrestle Kingdom 2 back in 2008. Then, as Balor's time in NJPW came to an end, AJ's was just beginning. "Literally the day I left Japan, he went to Japan, and I came to NXT," Balor recalled.

Balor then recounts their only previous singles match in WWE, which happened back at the WWE Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2017 PPV, and how their current output differs from five years ago. "I feel like we're both at our best right now," Balor opines, "The match that happened a couple of years ago, I definitely wasn't at my best...I'm at the best point of my career now."