"We don't want pro rasslers" - Kyle O'Reilly on the drastic shift in NXT before WWE exit

According to Kyle O'Reilly WWE were no longer looking for "pro rasslers"

Kyle O'Reilly has been recapping a conversation he overheard from the company's higher ups before he left in late 2021.

O'Reilly joined WWE and wrestled for NXT from 2017 to 2021. During his time in the black and gold brand, the Canadian found a lot of success. As part of The Undisputed Era he went on to win multiple tag team titles as well as winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with Adam Cole.

He is now gone from WWE and one of the attributing factors seemed to be the creative shifts that the brand was going through, transitioning into NXT 2.0. In a recent conversation with Renee Paquette on her podcast, The Sessions, O'Reilly spoke of what WWE were starting to look for in their performers as NXT began its creative facelift:

“‘We don’t want pro rasslers’ was something I heard,” O’Reilly revealed. “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 Wrestling Inc

View this post on Instagram

Instagram Post

NXT's recent change in appearance has left fans and performers alike puzzled as the black and gold alternative that Triple H offered was met with a great reception from members of the WWE Universe. Only time will tell if NXT's new look will pay off or not.

Kyle O'Reilly praised WWE officials after his departure from the company

The former NXT Tag Team Champion had nothing but respect for many of the officials he met during his time in the WWE.

After leaving the company, O'Reilly sent out a heartfelt message to a select few of NXT referees that he worked with.

The sweetest post there ever was ❤️ @DABrewerWWE @tomcastorWWE @WWEdarrylsharma are some of the most talented guys I’ve ever worked with. twitter.com/WWEdarrylsharm…

Although his time in NXT ended on a rather damp note, posts such as these highlight the overall positive time that Kyle O'Reilly had whilst performing for the WWE.