Kyle O’Reilly’s career remains connected with Adam Cole; the two men have been tag team partners and stablemates, but they’re currently engaged in a heated feud on WWE NXT. O’Reilly previously defeated Cole in an unsanctioned match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night Two. Now, they’ll clash in a traditional wrestling match at NXT Great American Bash.
During an appearance on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox, O’Reilly looked back on his lengthy history with Cole and named ROH Final Battle 2010 as a highlight of their time together. There, they faced the All Night Express in a tag team match, and while the duo didn’t win the match, they gained plenty of confidence from the experience.
“Man we’ve had so many over the years that have been special for their own unique ways,” said O’Reilly. “There was a special one early on, it was a tag match, it was our first match in New York City at [the] Manhattan Center, famous venue. It was our first match on iPPV for Ring of Honor. And we were the opening match in a tag team match against The All Night Express, and it was a big moment for us. It was kind of coming out party for Future Shock, the tag team.
“And that match gave us a lot of confidence moving forward. And we’ve had so many big moments together, it’s hard to pin point one but that’s one off the top of my head.”
(The full match is available here.)
Fast-forward more than a decade, and it’s fair to say that a lot has changed since that night Cole and O’Reilly competed in the Manhattan Center. They have become two of the top stars in WWE NXT, and the winner of their bout should certainly be considered a strong contender for the NXT Championship. In the interview, O’Reilly explained why he’s looking forward to facing Cole in a standard wrestling contest.
“This is just about proving who the better in-ring competitor is,” said O’Reilly. “Our last match was sanctioned, there was no rules. Throw everything out the window. Now, we have to play within a certain rule set, and I don’t think any of us will stray from that. Because if we beat each other by breaking the rules, then do we really prove?
“So this is just about proving who the better wrestler, who the better technician is.”
O’Reilly then stated that while he believes he’s more equipped to thrive in a regular wrestling match, he enjoys getting the chance to showcase his versatility as a performer in various match types.
“For me, I think I’m better suited in a traditional pro wrestling sort of environment,” said O’Reilly. “I think my style suits that well, I’ve had most of my success under those rules. But that said, it’s cool and fun to be able to do that unsanctioned match, to do those crazy, gritty, violent matches because it’s different.
“It’s a cool opportunity to show your versatility as a performer when you get to think outside the box and do a different type of a match.”
Cole and O’Reilly will clash on Tuesday night at NXT Great American Bash. WrestleZone will have complete coverage of the event.
The full interview is available here:
