Finn Balor has opened up candidly about the emotional toll of spending more than a decade wrestling in the United States away from his family in Ireland, admitting he now regularly questions whether continuing his WWE career is worth the personal sacrifice.
Speaking on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast, Balor reflected on how his mindset has evolved throughout his 13-year run with WWE.
Balor explained that early in his career, being away from home felt easier because he was relentlessly chasing success. “Earlier in my career, when you’re chasing the dream… I’m sacrificing time with my family to follow my dream and achieve these targets.”
However, he said that dynamic changed once he reached the highest point of his career by becoming the inaugural WWE Universal Championship holder in 2016. “For me, that was the top of the mountain,” Balor said.
Although his reign lasted less than 24 hours due to a shoulder injury suffered during the title match, Balor still considers the achievement the pinnacle of his professional journey. “That’s the highest you can get.”
After reaching that level and achieving financial stability, Balor said he began questioning the trade-offs involved in continuing his career abroad. “That’s where I started to question, like, why am I doing this now?”
He explained that unlike earlier in his career, he no longer feels driven by money, fame, or professional milestones. “I don’t need any more money, I don’t need any more success. I don’t need any more attention.”
Instead, the separation from loved ones has become increasingly difficult emotionally. “My family are at home in Ireland. I’m here in America wrestling.”
Balor currently lives in Orlando with his wife, Vero Rodriguez, whose family lives in Mexico City.
He described their life together as isolated despite their strong relationship. “We’ve got our own little island,” Balor said. “But there’s certainly an aspect of loneliness where we don’t have a support system.”
Balor admitted that seeing other WWE talent able to fly home to nearby family after shows has intensified those feelings over time. “I’m so envious of the guys who have their families here in the United States.” “For me and Vero, we just come home from work, but our families are still far away.”
Despite the emotional struggle, Balor emphasized that he still loves performing and remains motivated creatively. “I want to perform at the top. I want to be on the biggest shows. I want to be on WrestleMania. I want to be on SummerSlam.”
Still, he acknowledged the internal conflict has become stronger as the years pass. “Deep down, I struggle daily with what I’m giving up for that.”
Balor also revealed what his ideal post-wrestling future looks like once his in-ring career eventually ends. “Maybe do a couple months in US, couple months in Mexico, a couple months in Ireland. That would be the dream.”
He closed by stressing that while the conversation may sound heavy, his love for wrestling remains very real. “I don’t want this to come across like super depressing and sad, because I love my job.”
