A popular faction will reunite in the ring for nearly five years tonight on AEW Collision, bringing together three members of one of wrestling’s most dominant stables of the past decade.

Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, & Roderick Strong will team up to reform the Undisputed Kingdom in a 6-man tag match against Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty, Carlie Bravo, & Shawn Dean) at tonight on AEW Collision: Maximum Carnage.

This trio first rose to prominence as part of The Undisputed Era in WWE NXT, where they established themselves as one of the most successful factions in the brand’s history. During their run, they collected multiple championships including the NXT Championship, North American Championship, and dominated the tag team division.

The group won an impressive 10 NXT Year-End Awards during their time together and stood out for their cohesion and in-ring chemistry. Whether competing in singles, tag team, or multi-man matches like WarGames (video below), they distinguished themselves with their technical prowess and coordinated offensive style.

Cole served as the group’s charismatic leader while O’Reilly and Strong brought elite wrestling ability that made them feared competitors. After their WWE run ended in 2021, the trio eventually reunited in AEW, where they’ve recently reformed as part of the Undisputed Kingdom. Cole has expressed confidence that he, O’Reilly and Strong could “run all of AEW without question.” He’ll have a chance to back up that claim in just a matter of hours.

Tonight’s match will reuniting the Undisputed Kingdom / Undisputed Era for the first time since 2020 marks a significant milestone in their collective journey from NXT to AEW. And as one group gets back together… Popular AEW Tag Team Breaks Up

Reigning AEW TNT Champion Adam Copeland retained his title on the latest episode of Collision and also made history in the process. 

In the main event of the show, Copeland retained the title against Kyle O’Reilly, who was competing in his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. Not only did Copeland retain the title, but this marked the 100th title defense of the AEW Championship, a first for any championship in the All-Elite promotion.

It’s main event time! #TNT Champion Adam Copeland defends his title in a landmark 100th defense. A first for ANY championship in #AEW!

Watch #AEWCollision LIVE on TBS!@RatedRCope pic.twitter.com/nlI5Ei21Mt

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 12, 2024

Copleand was able to defend his gold against O’Reilly but the story of the match didn’t stop there. After the match, the two Canadian wrestlers embraced and the champion raised the hand of his challenger. Copeland then refused to let go of O’Reilly that led to a tense face-off between the two before the TNT Champion left first. 

It’s main event time! #TNT Champion Adam Copeland defends his title in a landmark 100th defense. A first for ANY championship in #AEW!

Watch #AEWCollision LIVE on TBS!@RatedRCope pic.twitter.com/nlI5Ei21Mt

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 12, 2024

Speaking after the match, Copeland said that the match showed exactly why he joined AEW last year. 

“Tonight was just an example of why I came to AEW. To get in there with a talent like Kyle O’Reilly in his hometown. 25 years after his dad brought him to see his first wrestling show which I was on. Fast-forward 25 years later and we’re in the main event for the TNT Championship and his dad is here tonight… What an absolute pleasure and a privilege to get into the ring with a talent like that.”

What’s To Come? 

Copeland retained in the 100th AEW TNT Championship title defense and the 101st may come at AEW Double or Nothing 2024. Backstage, Copeland challenged Malakai Black to a title match at the event to be contested in a Barbed Wire Steel Cage. Copeland has been feuding with the House of Black in recent weeks, and the macabre group’s influence may explain his post-match incident with O’Reilly. 

Kyle O’Reilly’s time away from the ring was tough on the AEW star but helped teach an important lesson about himself as a father. 

O’Reilly returned to AEW programming at the Revolution 2024 event in March. This return came close to two years after he underwent neck fusion surgery for an injury that’d kept him out of action since June 2022. 

Spending over a year away from the ring was understandably difficult for the veteran wrestler, but there has been a silver lining to his hiatus. As he explained to Fightful, his injury led to O’Reilly spending more time at home, which led to him learning more about himself. 

“My daughter, who was six months old when I got hurt, and now I’m going back and she’s over two. I got to spend all that quality time at home with her and playing that stay-at-home dad role. I found that I’m a better dad than I ever was a wrestler.”

In the interview, O’Reilly added that patience was key in his lengthy recovery process, as was staying positive in spite of what had happened to him. The Undisputed Era alum admitted that recovering took longer than first expected as complications prolonged his comeback period. 

It’s great that O’Reilly was able to spend quality time with his daughter as the wrestling business unfortunately often leads to parents being on the road for a long time without seeing their kids. Fatherly instincts aside, O’Reilly will be all business at AEW Dynasty when he challenges for the AEW International Championship. 

Kyle O’Reilly is set for his big return match this Saturday on AEW Collision and is just thankful he’s able to get back in a wrestling ring.

O’Reilly has been out of action for just under two years after suffering a neck injury which required double fusion surgety. However, he made his AEW return at Revolution and now has his first singles fight back against Bryan Keith. 

While backstage, an AEW camera crew caught up with Kyle to get his reaction about finally being able to put the boots back on. O’Reilly revealed that he lost the ability to use his right arm after a rare complication.

“I really didn’t know if I was ever gonna wrestle again. For a long while I was pretty damn sure that in June of 2022 my match with Jon Moxley was the last of my career and I was okay with that, I really was. If I could just get my arm back and I can brush my teeth again, I can wipe my a** like a normal human again and I can take care of my daughter and be a father that’s really all that I was focused on. That’s all that mattered and it took a long time to get any of that back. I mean I couldn’t move my arm for a damn near ten months.

O’Reilly said he really had a lot support while he was away, both from the fans and his wrestling colleagues. One fan reaching out to him was all the motivation he needed to get back in the ring. Kyle is confident in his ability to still compete, but he’s still uncertain how his body will react to first hitting the mat.

“He’s a good opponent to see if I really do have that beast in me.”

He says Keith is young and hungry to make a name for himself and there’s not better way to test his own meddle against The Bounty Hunter.

EXCLUSIVE: @KORCombat opens up about his journey to recovery, and how he's feeling on the eve of his first match back in two years, against Bryan Keith on #AEWCollision tomorrow night at 8/7c live on @tntdrama pic.twitter.com/2pXDojRo2S

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 15, 2024

Kyle O’Reilly will be stepping back in the wrestling ring after there was a time he thought he’d never receive that opportunity again.

O’Reilly underwent neck fusion surgery in 2022 and he hadn’t been back until making an unexpected return at AEW Revolution. While it seemed he may align with the Undisputed Kingdom, Kyle made clear that he planned to take his return into his own hands.

On this Saturday’s episode of AEW Collision O’Reilly steps foot in the ring against All Elite newcomer “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith in singles action.

Wildly enough, O’Reilly’s last match happened to be an AEW World Title match against then-champion Jon Moxley. O’Reilly competed in a Casino Battle Royal to earn his shot, but came up short against the champ. 

A lot has changed since O’Reilly has been away, including the exit of his ReDRagon partner, Bobby Fish, who just recently competed in Major League Wrestling against that promotion’s former World Champion in Alex Kane. Also, Kyle’s long-time friend Adam Cole is clearly out with injury, but did up becoming “The Devil” in the extensive storyline involving MJF in 2023 and now leads Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett and Wardlow.

Also On Tap For AEW Collision

Not only will Collision host Kyle O’Reilly’s in-ring return, but it also be the start of the AEW World Tag Team Title tournament. This is after Sting and Darby Allin defeated The Young Bucks to retain their tag gold, but being Sting’s retirement match, the titles were vacated.

Kyle O’Reilly has made his return to AEW programming but things may be much different for him now he’s back. 

O’Reilly appeared at AEW Revolution 2023 following Roderick Strong’s International Title win over Orange Cassidy. Despite his ties with Strong, O’Reilly didn’t seem aligned with his Undisputed Era alum. At first, he appeared to stalk Strong before embracing and would walk away from the Undisputed Kingdom when they offered him a shirt. 

In a backstage exclusive, O’Reilly spoke with Lexy Nair and shared his thoughts on his return. 

EXCLUSIVE: After an almost two-year absence from #AEW, Kyle O'Reilly made his return at #AEWRevolution. Lexy Nair catches up with him to get his thoughts on what transpired after his surprise return@KORCombat | @LexyNair pic.twitter.com/ybtYDiw82t

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 4, 2024

Kyle O’Reilly’s Return

O’Reilly’s journey back to AEW has been a long road, to say the least, after he underwent neck fusion surgery in late 2022. There were times during his absence when the company operated on the possibility that he may have never been able to return, Fightful Select reports. By late 2023 however, AEW was said to be optimistic about his comeback. 

Several viewers saw O’Reilly traveling into town, and word of his return was known within AEW. However, some thought it would happen further into March instead of at Revolution.

What’s Next for Kyle O’Reilly? 

Kyle O’Reilly appeared at AEW Revolution 2024 with a new look and Fightful was told that there are other elements that will be different for him. It had been expected that O’Reilly would have been part of the Undisputed Kingdom reveal but a different plan has been in the works for him for month. 

Adding Bobby Fish? 

With Kyle O’Reilly’s return, three-quarters of the Undisputed Era are once again on AEW programming. The report notes that AEW hasn’t had any recent talks with Bobby Fish for him to come and join the group. Fish had been with AEW but left in 2022. He would later join IMPACT (now TNA) Wrestling. 

AEW Revolution was a night full of unexpected action. Even after a title change, you still never know what can happen next.

Orange Cassidy lost the International Title to Roderick Strong, but that wasn’t the biggest talking point. An old friend returned to the ring, and he threw things into a new direction.

Orange Cassidy is firing up!

Order #AEWRevolution on PPV right now!
??: https://t.co/MpmTCyHt8n
?: https://t.co/Bc4ZSSvvNC@OrangeCassidy | @RoderickStrong pic.twitter.com/zx7adHIMeM

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 4, 2024

Orange Cassidy walked into the AEW Revolution event as International Champion. He gave it his all against Roderick Strong, but in the end, Freshly Squeezed couldn’t close the deal on Strong.

The match ended with a clean finish as OC put Roderick Strong over in very strong fashion.

Kyle O’Reilly Returns

Kyle O'Reilly is back!

Order #AEWRevolution on PPV right now!
??: https://t.co/MpmTCyHt8n
?: https://t.co/Bc4ZSSvvNC@RoderickStrong | @MattTaven | @RealMikeBennett | @KORcombat @trentylocks pic.twitter.com/BfgDONi6Pu

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 4, 2024

After Roderick Strong beat Orange Cassidy for the International Title, he was celebrating in the ring with the Undisputed Kingdom. Then, Kyle O’Reilly got in the ring.

O’Reilly had to get neck surgery, and he has been out of action for a long time. Now, it appears that the wait for him to come back is over.

Roderick Strong offered Kyle an Undisputed Kingdom t-shirt, but he didn’t take it. Instead, O’Reilly simply whispered something into Roddy’s ear, and he walked off.

SEScoops will have continued coverage of this story, and so much more, in the pro wrestling world. You never know what can happen next, especially during an AEW pay-per-view.

Bryan Danielson On His AEW Authority Role

Bryan Danielson has been tasked with ensuring rules are followed within AEW, but this new responsibility doesn’t come with a bigger paycheck. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Danielson addressed her new role.

“It’s not something I get paid for. I’m just like the other wrestlers in the sense of I don’t have a contract outside of being a wrestler contract. But I was honored to take on more when they asked me to take on more roles backstage.”

Latest on Rebel’s status in AEW

The last time Rebel competed for AEW was in August of last year, and after Britt Baker turned face earlier this year, fans have seen nothing from the Dentist’s former ally. Fightful Select reports that Rebel remains under contract, and there has been talks of her being brought back to TV. With that said, there aren’t any working plans for her to wrestle. 

Kyle O’Reilly Gives An Update

It’s been over a year since Kyle O’Reilly last competed for AEW as he continues to recover from neck fusion surgery. After previously losing all feeling in his arm, O’Reilly took to social media this week to share his progress. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:C0sXoJYs66y

Samoa Joe Returns as Sweet Tooth

Samoa Joe will return as franchise mascot Sweet Tooth in the second season of Peacock’s Heavy Metal series. The show is based on the hit vehicular combat series. In a trailer announcing the second season, Joe was featured and the AEW star reacted to the news with a single emoji. 

? https://t.co/5bk3ftVLuS

— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) December 8, 2023

Kyle O’Reilly has been out of action since last June due to various health issues. According to his good friend Adam Cole, he is in good spirits despite the struggles and is getting better.

The former NXT champion recently appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio. He opened up about his own injuries and recovery before providing an update on his friend.

Cole said that he talks to O’Reilly every day and he is doing good. Per the AEW star, his teammate is working hard but not rushing anything:

“Kyle was really banged up and it got to a point where he kind of couldn’t take it anymore. I’m so glad that he got fixed and got healthy and is recovering day by day, every day.”

– Adam Cole

Kyle O’Reilly Is Doing Better

Kyle O’Reilly underwent neck fusion surgery in September. In January, he revealed that he was dealing with a post-surgical issue. Adam Cole mentioned that the early parts of recovery were discouraging for Kyle because he wasn’t able to do a lot. His mood however has improved with time:

“He’s starting to be able to do more and more in therapy and rehab, you see the excitement and wheels turning of him already thinking about how he can’t wait to get back. He’s in good spirits and he has a lot of people around him that love him a lot.”

Adam Cole has been dealing with his own health issues since last year. He spent the second half of 2022 on the shelf due to concussion issues. He is expected to return to the ring soon though with Cole’s first match back expected at AEW Revolution.

H/t Fightful

AEW’s Kyle O’Reilly has opened up about his recovery and the post-surgery issues that he’s had to deal with.

O’Reilly, a former WWE NXT Tag Team Champion, in December 2021 as he opted not to resign his contract, and debuted for AEW weeks later.

His arrival in AEW saw O’Reilly reunite with Adam Cole and Bobby Fish, members of NXT’s Undisputed Era, and briefly formed the Undisputed Elite with the Young Bucks.

Surgery

O’Reilly’s most recent match for AEW came in June of last year, where after winning a battle royal, lost to Jon Moxley in a AEW World Championship qualifying match for AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door.

In early September, O’Reilly posted an image to his Instagram story of himself laying in a hospital bed, and hinted that he had undergone neck fusion surgery.

Taking to Instagram this week, O’Reilly spoke about how it is a cliché, but he plans on this new year seeing a new him.

The 35-year-old wrestler added that he has been “dealing with a post-surgical issue” and promised to explain more later.

O’Reilly also spoke about living with diabetes and thanked those who have supported him change his approach to his condition and “hop off the blood sugar roller coaster.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kyle O’Reilly (@korcombat)

Return

In an interview with Beyond Type 1 last October, O’Reilly said that this was his first “significant injury” throughout his 17-year wrestling career.

O’Reilly said that he will be using the time to evaluate himself so that he can come back better than ever, and be an overall better athlete.

Neither O’Reilly nor AEW have disclosed when fans can expect him back, but those who have dealt with neck-fusion surgery in the past have missed anywhere from nine months to a year of in-ring time.

O’Reilly’s Undisputed Era ally Bobby Fish left AEW last year and has since joined with Impact Wrestling.

Another AEW star will be out of action for significant time due to injury.

On Thursday, Kyle O’Reilly posted photos on Instagram indicating he’s undergone neck fusion surgery. In this first photo below, he’s in a hospital bed. Another photo he posted was an advertisement for the Ford Fusion car, with the name Ford replaced by the word, “neck.”

At this stage, we can safely say he will be out of action at least until the end of the year.

Kyle O’Reilly Update

Kyle O’Reilly last competed for AEW on the June 8th edition of AEW Dynamite. He won a Casino Battle Royal to earn a shot at Jon Moxley later in the evening. Moxley won that match and went on to compete for the Interim AEW World title at Forbidden Door.

O’Reilly’s last televised appearance took place on the August 3rd edition of Dynamite, when he, Bobby Fish and Adam Cole turned on the Young Bucks.

Back in July, O’Reilly said he’s been dealing with a nagging injury for the past five years. During an interview with This is VANCOLOUR, he said:

“This October, I’ll be wrestling for 17 years now. It’s a lot of bumps, a lot of wear and tear on your body. Fortunately, nothing serious has really happened to me. I’ve been hurt a lot, I’ve been injured, but I’ve always grinded through, made the date, showed up and performed as well as I can in the ring despite whatever I was nursing. Sometimes, the medical staff needs to save us from ourselves.

“As wrestlers, we’ll go until the wheels fall off. ‘My shoulder is hurt? Okay, I won’t do any moves where I land on my shoulder.’ We’re crazy like that. 

SEScoops wishes Kyle O’Reilly a full and speedy recovery.

The Undisputed era in All Elite Wrestling is over before it really even got started.

Bobby Fish’s AEW contract expired Wednesday, August 31st and is now officially a free agent. Fish made his AEW debut on October 6, 2021. The 45-year-old was released by WWE in August of last year. Fish has not been seen on AEW television since the August 3rd episode of Dynamite. On that episode, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly attacked The Young Bucks to split the Undisputed Elite faction.

He told the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast that he was supposed to be a part of the Trios Tournament with Adam Cole and Bobby O’Reilly but plans were changed due to injury. Bobby added during the episode that he would run through a wall for Triple H and now he may be afforded that chance.

Bobby Fish debuted in a loss against Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship. He battled top stars like CM Punk and Bryan Danielson in singles matches before teaming up with Adam Cole and The Young Bucks. Kyle O’Reilly joined their group on the Holiday Bash edition of Dynamite.

Fish has been used sparingly in recent months due to injuries suffered by Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole. His last match was during a taping for AEW Dark: Elevation in July. Bobby has recently been taking independent bookings and started the “Undisputed” podcast.

Kyle O’Reilly recently joined the list of AEW’s injury reserve. Kyle has now provided an update on his injury.

O’Reilly has not wrestled since the June 8 AEW Dynamite where he won a battle royal to face Jon Moxley in the main event of the same episode. He would lose to Moxley who would go on to compete in and win the Interim AEW World Title match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.

On the June 17 episode of AEW Rampage, Kyle was hit in the balls with a bat by Sting. As a result, O’Reilly claimed that his “testicles were swollen.”

O’Reilly On His Career

The Undisputed Elite member provided an update on his injury when speaking on This is VANCOLOUR.

Kyle said, “This October, I’ll be wrestling for 17 years now. It’s a lot of bumps, a lot of wear and tear on your body. Fortunately, nothing serious has really happened to me. I’ve been hurt a lot, I’ve been injured, but I’ve always grinded through, made the date, showed up and performed as well as I can in the ring despite whatever I was nursing. Sometimes, the medical staff needs to save us from ourselves.

“As wrestlers, we’ll go until the wheels fall off. ‘My shoulder is hurt? Okay, I won’t do any moves where I land on my shoulder.’ We’re crazy like that. 

“This is something I’ve been dealing with, it’s a nagging thing that I’ve been dealing with, specifically, pretty bad for the last five years. In the last few weeks of wrestling on AEW, I’ve been really banged up and didn’t know the extent of it until now. 

Kyle Doesn’t Know Recovery Time Yet

“I still don’t know all the information, so I don’t want to disclose exactly what is happening with me. I need more information and I should know probably this week what the recovery time is going to be and what the recovery will entail. 

“All I can do is, if there is time off, use it to remotivate myself, get in better shape, and come back stronger than ever before.”

It is still unknown when O’Reilly will return to AEW TV. His reDRagon partner, Bobby Fish, is also sidelined with an injury. 

H/T to Jeremy Lambert of Fightful for the transcription

AEW Dynamite was live from the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, MO on June 8.

In the main event, Jon Moxley went one-on-one with Kyle O’Reilly to determine who would move on to Forbidden Door to compete for the Interim AEW World Championship.

Fans also witnessed a potential heel turn as Swerve Strickland eliminated his seemingly now-former tag team partner Keith Lee in the Casino Battle Royale. His post-match reaction was very telling.

There was also the introduction of the AEW All-Atlantic Championship.

Post-Show

During the main event of Dynamite, O’Reilly gave one heck of an effort against Moxley but he fell short. O’Reilly was pinned with the Paradigm Shift.

Earlier in the night, William Regal, the manager of Blackpool Combat Club, showed his respect to Kyle O’Reilly. Regal had served as a bit of a mentor to Kyle during his time in NXT.

After the match, Regal and O’Reilly looked close to embracing but Kyle ended up walking off in disappointment (via Erica Lee).

Special Look At Will Ospreay’s AEW Debut

Will Ospreay made his AEW debut on the show. With the help of The United Empire, he attacked FTR and Trent Beretta.

AEW ring announcer Justin Roberts captured footage and while this wasn’t after the show, it’s simply too good not to leave here.

It looks like more than one unannounced match has been listed internally for AEW Double or Nothing.

Earlier this week, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer reported that Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti vs. Scorpio Sky or Ethan Page and Paige VanZant was “tentatively planned” for the PPV.

It seems like there’s another match that could be added to the show late.

Fightful is now reporting that Darby Allin vs. Kyle O’Reilly has been discussed as a possible last-minute addition.

It would make sense given that Kyle injured Sting in storyline by placing his ankle through a chair and crushing it with a knee off the top turnbuckle.

Darby recently promised that he will have a presence at Double or Nothing:

“Trust me I got a plan heading into Sunday.”

Looks like Kyle O’Reilly will be with AEW for a lengthy run.

The former multi-time NXT tag champion revealed during an interview on the Toddcast that he has signed a five year deal with the promotion, stating that he’s excited to continue living his dream.

“For me, in five years, I’ll still be with AEW. I signed a five-year deal with them. Hopefully, by then, champion of the company or several time tag champion, just having fun and never losing that love I have for the business.”

O’Reilly debuted for AEW back in December of 2021, which means his deal won’t expire until the end of 2026 or potentially early 2027 depending on when he actually signed. Regardless…he says he’s adamant about continuing to put on marquee in-ring performances much like the one he just had against Rey Fenix in the Owen Hart Memorial tournament.

“Hopefully, having kick ass matches because that’s what it’s about for me. Getting in the ring. That’s where Kyle O’Reilly is best suited, between those ropes, just trying to have good matches with guys.”

O’Reilly will be taking on current Ring of Honor Television champion Samoa Joe in the semifinals of the Owen Hart Memorial on this week’s AEW Dynamite from Las Vegas. If he were to win, he will be facing fellow Undisputed Elite member Adam Cole in the finals, which take place at Sunday’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

(Quotes via Fightful)

Kyle O’Reilly has been absent from AEW programming in recent weeks. His last actual match with the promotion was on the December 29th New Year’s Smash show. He teamed with Bobby Fish and Adam Cole that night and defeated Trent Beretta, Chuck Taylor, and Orange Cassidy.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, O’Reilly has not been around recently due to the birth of his child.

“The reason Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly haven’t been out with Adam Cole and the Young Bucks thing has stopped is because O’Reilly was given time off since his wife just had a baby. It is expected to resume when he returns,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

This week on AEW Dynamite, however, Jay White debuted and helped Adam Cole and the Young Bucks attack the Best Friends in the back. In storyline, Cole brought White in without running it by the Young Bucks first. So now several dynamics are at play with the Elite, former members of Undisputed Era, and Bullet Club now with overlapping members.

O’Reilly was recently on The Sessions with Renee Paquette and spoke about why he decided to leave WWE. One thing that led to him signing with AEW is that he heard WWE was no longer looking for “pro wrestlers”.

“‘We don’t want pro rasslers’ was something I heard,” O’Reilly said. “And it was like ‘alright but I am a pro wrestler. And I want to be a pro wrestler still. So I want to go where I can be a pro wrestler.’ And I know that the things are the same, sports entertainment, wrestling, it’s all the same. But I don’t know if everyone looks at it that way.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the above transcription.

Kyle O’Reilly was one of pillars of the Black and Gold brand of NXT. He was also there for its transition to the NXT 2.0 era before he left for AEW.

The AEW star recently had an interview with Renee Paquette for her Oral Sessions podcast. He discussed things such as his AEW debut and more.

Speaking of the rebranded NXT, O’Reilly revealed the underlying problem he believes it has, mentioning how a lot of its stars are not passionate about the sport:

“I think people in wrestling are really rare in the sense that you really, really have to love it. I think that might be an underlying problem in this new NXT. There’s a lot of people coming in that I don’t think really have that true love for it.

I’m sure they’ll do well, they’ll make a big splash, be a big star, and make a ton of money,” said Kyle O’Reilly, “but at the end of the day, if your heart isn’t really in it, I don’t know. It’s tough.”

• Kyle O’Riley Praises Shawn Michaels’ Role as NXT Coach

The former ROH world champion also discussed his transition to AEW. He mentioned how the AEW locker room is full of guys he has been friends with for years.

He said that he felt there was no spot for him on the WWE main roster. Kyle O’Reilly made the jump to AEW because he wanted to be somewhere where he would be happy and be utilized.

Kyle O’Riley credits WWE legend Shawn Michaels for teaching him how to structure a main event wrestling match.

Before his departure for All Elite Wrestling, O’Riley had singles run as a main event talent in NXT. At the time, the WWE wanted to give him a push while his partner Bobby Fish dealt with an injury. NXT had him feud against his former Undisputed Era leader Adam Cole and Finn Balor.

O’Riley had experience as a singles wrestler in other promotions, like Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. However, he thanks Michaels for learning new skills on how to compete in the main event. On the All Elite Wrestling Unrestricted Podcast the new signee explained how the legend help him.

“I learned alot about structuring like a main event match and you know there’s that age old adage of pro wrestling listen to the people, listen to the people, ane never really got what the meant,” said O’Riley.

He continued, “…Shawn really kind of taught us just to instead of going up and down with the crowd reaction you try and just keep it at a level. So like on a double down just don’t move and like until they start to die and, then you can move and, then you can bring them back up and, it’s just little things like that you don’t really think of and, it’s really hard to learn on your own until someone just kind of explains it to you and, then a light bulb goes off and just helps take your game to next level.”

Shawn Michaels Current Role in NXT

O’Riley isn’t the only former NXT talent to praise Michaels for his help. Adam Cole and Johnny Garagno have also credited the WWE legend for his coaching and appreciates their time working with him.

While NXT has changed to NXT 2.0, he continues to work closely with younger talent to succeed. His job as a coach helped Michaels get promoted to NXT 2.0 Vice President of Talent Development.

Kyle O’Riley in AEW

O’Riley signed with AEW on Dec. 22, 2021, but he still is thankful for his time in NXT. In the interview, he didn’t share any ill will to his former employer.

In AEW, he’s reformed ReDragon with Bobby Fish and hope to become AEW Tag Team Champions. Although he is back in a tag team, it’s still possible to see O’Riley compete in one on one matches.

It’s unclear if AEW fans will see him compete in the main event as a singles star.

Kyle O’Reilly wasn’t on AEW Dynamite this week, and for good reason. The new AEW star announced that he became a father on Monday, January 17th with the birth of a daughter, Janie Elizabeth.

O’Reilly wrote about the new addition in a post on his Instagram page. He noted that he named his daughter after his late mother.

“January 17, 2022 was the most important and amazing day of my life. Welcome to the world Janie Elizabeth Greenwood. Named after my late Mother who wanted to be a Granny more than anything, I am so proud to be your Dad. Life is so precious and beautiful! You share a birthday with some amazingly influential and positive people including Michelle Obama, Betty White, Muhammad Ali and Jim Carrey plus you were born on MLK day during a full moon. That is some wildly positive energy right there! Can’t wait to watch you grow up,” O’Reilly wrote.

O’Reilly also added the quote “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be,” by Robert Munsch and included a couple photographs.

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O’Reilly debuted with AEW on December 22nd during their Holiday Bash show and his since been running alongside his old NXT teammate Adam Cole and longtime tag team partner Bobby Fish. So far, O’Reilly’s only match with the promotion happened on December 29th when he teamed with Cole and Fish to defeat the Best Friends and Orange Cassidy.

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Mark Henry has likened Kyle O’Reilly to a ninja.

O’Reilly made his surprise AEW debut on the Dec. 22 Holiday Bash episode of Dynamite. The former Undisputed Era member attacked Orange Cassidy during his match with Adam Cole. This allowed Cole to connect with The Boom for the three-count.

It appears O’Reilly did a heck of a job evading people in the backstage area before making his debut.

Mark Henry Unaware Of Kyle O’Reilly’s Presence

During an episode of Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry praised Tony Khan for being able to snag Kyle O’Reilly after his WWE contract was up.

“Tony Khan continues to give the crowd what they want. And when I say crowd, not just the people in Greensboro but all of the fans of AEW.

“You get these little — it’s not even Christmas presents. It’s like a birthday, it’s a Wednesday gift. Every month it seems like there’s a surprise at AEW.

“Whether it’s a return from injury or a new wrestler that’s All Elite, something to that effect that gets everybody stirred up. Man, I feel like that’s the M.O. of AEW is never letting things get stale by mixing things up and last night was no different.”

Henry insisted that he never knew that O’Reilly was going to appear on Dynamite and never saw him before he made his way out.

“No, I know who he is. I never saw him all day. I’m a tell you, man they some super Secret Squirrel — they some kingsmen. They the Mission Impossible people. I don’t know what the hell is going on but they do a good job of keeping a secret.”

Some drama is already brewing between The Young Bucks and Cole over Bobby Fish and O’Reilly. Cole promised The Bucks a surprise but Matt and Nick Jackson weren’t exactly thrilled with what they saw.

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Kyle O’Reilly made a shocking debut on Wednesday’s Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite on TNT.

O’Reilly did a run-in during Adam Cole’s match against Orange Cassidy. In doing so, he reunited with former Undisputed Era partners Cole and Bobby Fish.

After Cole picked up the victory, O’Reilly, Cole and Fish stood together in the ring. Out came the Young Bucks, who questioned Adam Cole’s loyalties.

Cole has partnered with the Bucks, as well as Fish & O’Reilly. He left with Fish & O’Reilly, which sets up an interesting scenario about where this leaves the Super Elite.

Kyle O’Reilly comments on his AEW debut

O’Reilly addressed his arrival in AEW on social media.

“Life is crazy and I’m very grateful that my professional wrestling abilities have taken me to a new frontier in which to explore my ass-kicking ways,” he wrote. “Proud to be apart of AEW and thanks to Tony Khan for the opportunity.”

“If you’re a fan of mine from elsewhere I hope you continue to support me. If you’re new to KOR prepare to see a man that pours his f’n soul into that ring every night and has an unquenchable thirst for cans of whoop ass.”

“Also, reDRagon is back!!!”

Tony Khan Reacts

Tony Khan also commented on signing O’Reilly and reuniting him with Adam Cole and Bobby Fish.

“I’m still amazed that we were able to reunite Adam Cole & Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly tonight on AEW Dynamite; it doesn’t seem like it should’ve been possible, still doesn’t feel real. The only reason it was possible was because of you great fans supporting AEW on TNT! Thank you.”

Kyle O’Reilly has joined the AEW roster and drama has already reared its ugly head.

On the Holiday Bash episode of AEW Dynamite, Adam Cole went one-on-one with Orange Cassidy. Cole got a major assist from the debuting Kyle O’Reilly, which allowed Cole to hit The Boom for the three-count.

After the match, The Young Bucks made their way down the ramp and they did not look too pleased. Cole promised a surprise for his fellow Elite members but this isn’t what The Bucks were hoping for.

Bobby Fish was also at ringside and he posed with O’Reilly. Cole looked conflicted as he noticed that The Young Bucks were not happy with what had transpired.

Cole, O’Reilly, and Fish were all members of the Undisputed Era on NXT. The group eventually added Roderick Strong to the group.

O’Reilly had been with WWE under the NXT brand since 2017. Once his contract came to an end, O’Reilly decided to leave the company. Many expected the move given that NXT has changed direction.

Adam Cole would “love” the chance to reunite with Kyle O’Reilly. He’s also eager to work with Johnny Gargano once again.

Luckily for us, there’s a strong possibility we’ll get to see both scenarios play out in the near future.

Over the weekend, AEW held a Q&A panel at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo. Talent in attendance included Adam “Hangman” Page, CM Punk, Adam Cole, Ruby Riott, Billy Gunn and Christopher Daniels.

Cole was asked about the reuniting with former Undisputed Era partner Kyle O’Reilly. O’Reilly and Johnny Gargano’s WWE contracts expired last week. Both men are available to work anywhere, effective immediately.

Kyle O’Reilly & Johnny Gargano

Adam Cole has no idea what Kyle’s next move will be. “I’m not sure he even knows what he’s going to do,” he said. “But the idea of getting to reunite with Kyle as well as Bobby [Fish]? Hell yeah, I would love that. Hell yeah I would. Absolutely.”

Panel host Tony Schiavone joked that if you “heard on the Internet” that Kyle O’Reilly is a free agent, then it must be true.

Undisputed Era reuniting in AEW would be huge. However, Adam Cole looks equally excited to resume feuding with another top free agent from NXT.

Another audience member asked, “Who on the stage would be most interested in kicking Johnny Gargano’s ass?”

Adam Cole’s hand went up, which got a big pop from the crowd.

Watch footage from the AEW C2E2 panel below

Kyle O’Reilly has joined Johnny Gargano as a free agent.

Much has been made over O’Reilly’s contract status. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported that WWE offered Kyle a multi-year deal. Despite the offer, reports surfaced claiming that many in WWE were under the assumption that O’Reilly was on his way out.

Kyle O’Reilly Is On The Market

PWInsider is now reporting that the assumption of those within WWE was correct. Kyle O’Reilly has been removed from WWE’s internal roster. He is now free to sign with other promotions.

Fightful Select had reported that Johnny Gargano became a free agent at midnight on Dec. 10. He also reportedly received a contract offer from WWE but has turned it down.

Speculation has already run rampant on O’Reilly’s future. Many are under the assumption that he will reunite with Adam Cole and Bobby Fish.

For years, O’Reilly and Fish took the tag team world by storm as reDRagon. O’Reilly and Fish aligned themselves with Adam Cole to form The Undisputed Era under WWE’s NXT brand. Eventually, Roderick Strong joined the group.

Cole and Fish are currently members of the AEW roster. We’ve seen the two men align with The Young Bucks and many are assuming that O’Reilly will be joining them soon.