"I think the people were just really excited to see me" - Kyle O'Reilly reflects on his surprising AEW debut
More than a month after debuting for the company, former WWE star Kyle O'Reilly recently reflected on the day he made his first appearance for AEW.
O'Reilly made his debut for AEW at the "Holiday Bash" edition of Dynamite. He emerged from underneath the ring to attack Orange Cassidy during his match with O'Reilly's frenemy Adam Cole.
Kyle O’Reilly is ALL ELITE!
The Undisputed Era is Now The Undisputed ELITE in #AEW!
This is all leading to Adam Cole vs Kenny Omega feud in 2022, LONG TERM BOOKING! The ELITE vs The Undisputed ELITE! #AEWDynamite https://t.co/HbNaxio6vz
The Violent Artist's interference helped Cole gain victory over Cassidy. After the match, O'Reilly, Cole and Bobby Fish all stood side by side for the first time in AEW, mirroring their first appearance in NXT back in 2017.
Speaking on the AEW Unrestricted podcast with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards, Kyle O'Reilly mentioned how exciting it was for fans to see the stable formerly known as the Undisputed Era back together again.
“I think the people were just excited to see me and Adam [Cole] and Bobby [Fish] all together. It wasn’t just like, ‘Oh, there’s Kyle O’Reilly,’ but ‘Oh, there’s Kyle O’Reilly and the three of those dudes are together!’ Whoa!” said O'Reilly.
The former NXT Tag Team Champion made his in-ring debut for AEW at the "New Year's Smash" edition of Dynamite, gaining the pinfall in a trios match against Best Friends.
.@AdamColePro, @KORcombat & @theBobbyFish enter the arena!
It's time for the main event here on #AEWDynamite: #NewYearsSmash!
LIVE on @tntdrama!
Reminder: #AEWDynamite moves to @tbsnetwork next Wed. Jan 5th 2022 🎉 https://t.co/IgGyKEuKN7
Kyle O'Reilly credits his MMA training for improving his skillset
One thing that separates Kyle O'Reilly from the rest of the AEW roster (and also the NXT roster when he was there) was the unique way he combined Japanese strong style and Mixed Martial Arts into his move set.
When asked what it was about the MMA style in particular that helped him in his training, O'Reilly disclosed the reason.
“It was something that made me a better pro wrestler. It made my footwork better. It made my timing better. It made all my strikes and my submission transitions better.” said O'Reilly.
What would you like to see Kyle do in AEW? Should he feud with Adam Cole again? Let us know in the comments below.
Please credit AEW Unrestricted and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use the quotes from this article.