A new report has revealed why David Finlay chose to sign with AEW instead of WWE. Although WWE did offer him a contract, the terms of the deal didn’t please Finlay enough.
Finlay made a surprise debut on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. He showed up alongside his former NJPW teammates Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors. The trio, known as “The Dogs,” made their presence felt by attacking Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy during the show.
After the debut, AEW President Tony Khan confirmed that Finlay, Kidd, and Connors were “All Elite.”
David Finlay Reportedly Declined WWE NXT Offer Before AEW Signing
According to Cory Hays from Bodyslam+, Finlay has signed a multi-year contract with AEW. The report also revealed that WWE had shown interest in signing him before he chose AEW. Sources within WWE said the company offered Finlay a contract after his deal with NJPW expired.
However, WWE wanted Finlay to start his run in its developmental brand NXT rather than debuting directly on the main roster. According to the report, WWE did not want to change that plan.
Cory of Bodyslam.net on X tweeted, “David Finlay was offered a contract with WWE to start with #WWENXT. It was a lower level contract and not a main roster level contract. As a result, he agreed to a deal with AEW within the last week.”
Finlay had already been linked to WWE after becoming a free agent when his New Japan contract ended. Because of that, the offer itself was not surprising. But the requirement to start in NXT seems to have influenced his final decision.
His AEW debut also reunited him with familiar allies from his time in Japan. The name “The Dogs” is a reference to the Bullet Club War Dogs faction from New Japan, which featured Finlay, Kidd, and Connors. Finlay was the leader of that group during its run in the promotion.
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