At SummerSlam 2019, Finn Balor was "murder" by the debuting 'Fiend' Bray Wyatt, disappearing off WWE television in the process.
Joining Dan Matha on Spark in the Dark, Balor explained why he needed that time away last summer and into the fall.
"I had been working from 2000 until last August, which is 19 years without taking a break unless it was an injury. Even with the shoulder injury, I worked harder when I was out than when I was fit because I was doing rehab three times a day to get back and get going. The stress of the injury and the pressure to come back, that felt harder than when you're actually working. When you're working, you're in the zone and going and going. I had been going for 19 years straight and I came to a point where I needed a break, not just physically, it was more mentally to be by myself and be away from the boys. I love the boys, but it gets to a point where it's just too intense. When you're around them all the time, you just need some space. I needed space from everything; the business, bookers, writers, schedules, everything. It had become too intense. I was turning into a different person that I didn't like. I was snapping at people, I wasn't giving people time in conversations. I was turning into a bitter dick and I could feel it building and building. Thankfully, the company gave me some time to get my head straight and get better. When I came back, the idea was pitched around to go to NXT," he said.
Balor returned to television on October 2, 2019, returning to NXT to confront Adam Cole. Balor said moving back to NXT has been great for him as he was working 172 matches a year and traveling, but in NXT he does only 50 matches a year and doesn't have to travel as much.
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