SI Extra Mustard 5 Questions with Kyle O'Reilly
Posted: Mar 24th, '17, 08:21
Source: Sports Illustrated
Five Questions with… Kyle O’Reilly
Kyle O’Reilly is the premiere free agent in professional wrestling. The 30-year-old is a former Ring of Honor world champion, having won the title at Final Battle last December over Adam Cole. Due to contract negotiations stalling, and then coming to a halt, O’Reilly suddenly dropped the title back to Cole at Wrestle Kingdom 11 on January 4 in Tokyo. “The Violent Artist” is also one-half of reDRagon with Bobby Fish, and the pair is arguably the most talented tag team in the entire business. O’Reilly is rumored to be headed to WWE to work at NXT, and he spoke with SI.com about his career, decision to leave Ring of Honor, and his future.
SI.com: You won the Ring of Honor world title on December 2 at Final Battle in an incredibly compelling main event with Adam Cole. Without any title defenses—or much fanfare—you dropped the title at Wrestle Kingdom 11 on January 4 back to Cole. What did you think of those two matches with Cole? Is the world title win any less special because of the quick run with the belt?
O’Reilly: Any time you are sharing the ring with Adam Cole, it is guaranteed to be something special. He’s such an incredible talent and the paths of our careers have been intertwined since arriving in Ring of Honor. Final Battle at the Hammerstein and Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome were no different, as they were both special moments in my career with a professional rival and a personal friend.
When you look at the lineage of who’s been ROH World Champion over the last 15 years, you find some of pro wrestling’s most significant names. To have held that title even for one day was a huge moment for my career and for the sake of wrestling history, I can be proud looking back knowing that I was once ROH World Champion.
SI.com: Why is Kyle O’Reilly no longer working for Ring of Honor? And is there ever a chance that we will see you in WWE or NXT?
O’Reilly: As a professional, I am always looking for new experiences and challenges. Ring of Honor was a place where I grew and found myself as a performer. However, in order to develop myself further as an artist, it was time to move on. After seven years with the company, their platform was no longer conducive to my artistic growth and my creativity.
For me to fully experience this industry I would certainly hope there’s a chance for me at WWE. I am open to all opportunities should they come my way and a chance to prove myself as a world-class athlete. There are many talented performers within that company I would be excited to work with and many proficient minds I would be grateful to learn from should the opportunity ever arise.
SI.com: People are invested in Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish as singles talent, but also extremely invested in the two of you together as reDRagon. What has Bobby meant to you in your career? And will reDRagon ever team together again?
O’Reilly: Bobby is an extremely close friend, mentor, and a tremendous tag-team partner. We’ve set such a high standard for ourselves and for the quality of reDRagon’s matches that we’ve always pushed each other to be better all-around pro wrestlers. I don’t think anyone has seen the last reDRagon match and there is always the chance we will pop up again somewhere. I can almost guarantee it…
SI.com: What is so appealing to you about the New Japan “strong style” of wrestling? Are you considering working there full-time?
O’Reilly: The New Japan “strong style” is what made me fall in love with the sport all over again. It is the use of legitimate technique in a setting that is conducive to making what we do believable and realistic. A sports-like presentation and background coupled with believable wrestlers has allowed me to put forth a body of work of which I’m very proud. Wrestling for New Japan has given me a platform to truly show what Kyle O’Reilly is all about and it provides the greatest visual representation of my style. The knowledge I gained from the legends there is invaluable and the respect shown from the fans is humbling. I would absolutely consider working there full-time and hope to eventually end up back there. Whether that is in six months or six years remains to be seen, however I definitely have unfinished business in NJPW.
SI.com: What are your goals for the remainder of 2017? Where will we see you next?
O’Reilly: My goals for 2017 include continuing my personal growth as a performer and seeking out new opportunities and platforms to display my abilities. I just want to keep being and becoming the best version of myself and the best professional wrestler I can possibly be. There are a lot of questions about where I might end up next and hopefully those questions will be answered sooner than later. Wherever Kyle O’Reilly does end up, expect “The Violent Artist” to remain one of the best wrestlers in the world.
Five Questions with… Kyle O’Reilly
Kyle O’Reilly is the premiere free agent in professional wrestling. The 30-year-old is a former Ring of Honor world champion, having won the title at Final Battle last December over Adam Cole. Due to contract negotiations stalling, and then coming to a halt, O’Reilly suddenly dropped the title back to Cole at Wrestle Kingdom 11 on January 4 in Tokyo. “The Violent Artist” is also one-half of reDRagon with Bobby Fish, and the pair is arguably the most talented tag team in the entire business. O’Reilly is rumored to be headed to WWE to work at NXT, and he spoke with SI.com about his career, decision to leave Ring of Honor, and his future.
SI.com: You won the Ring of Honor world title on December 2 at Final Battle in an incredibly compelling main event with Adam Cole. Without any title defenses—or much fanfare—you dropped the title at Wrestle Kingdom 11 on January 4 back to Cole. What did you think of those two matches with Cole? Is the world title win any less special because of the quick run with the belt?
O’Reilly: Any time you are sharing the ring with Adam Cole, it is guaranteed to be something special. He’s such an incredible talent and the paths of our careers have been intertwined since arriving in Ring of Honor. Final Battle at the Hammerstein and Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome were no different, as they were both special moments in my career with a professional rival and a personal friend.
When you look at the lineage of who’s been ROH World Champion over the last 15 years, you find some of pro wrestling’s most significant names. To have held that title even for one day was a huge moment for my career and for the sake of wrestling history, I can be proud looking back knowing that I was once ROH World Champion.
SI.com: Why is Kyle O’Reilly no longer working for Ring of Honor? And is there ever a chance that we will see you in WWE or NXT?
O’Reilly: As a professional, I am always looking for new experiences and challenges. Ring of Honor was a place where I grew and found myself as a performer. However, in order to develop myself further as an artist, it was time to move on. After seven years with the company, their platform was no longer conducive to my artistic growth and my creativity.
For me to fully experience this industry I would certainly hope there’s a chance for me at WWE. I am open to all opportunities should they come my way and a chance to prove myself as a world-class athlete. There are many talented performers within that company I would be excited to work with and many proficient minds I would be grateful to learn from should the opportunity ever arise.
SI.com: People are invested in Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish as singles talent, but also extremely invested in the two of you together as reDRagon. What has Bobby meant to you in your career? And will reDRagon ever team together again?
O’Reilly: Bobby is an extremely close friend, mentor, and a tremendous tag-team partner. We’ve set such a high standard for ourselves and for the quality of reDRagon’s matches that we’ve always pushed each other to be better all-around pro wrestlers. I don’t think anyone has seen the last reDRagon match and there is always the chance we will pop up again somewhere. I can almost guarantee it…
SI.com: What is so appealing to you about the New Japan “strong style” of wrestling? Are you considering working there full-time?
O’Reilly: The New Japan “strong style” is what made me fall in love with the sport all over again. It is the use of legitimate technique in a setting that is conducive to making what we do believable and realistic. A sports-like presentation and background coupled with believable wrestlers has allowed me to put forth a body of work of which I’m very proud. Wrestling for New Japan has given me a platform to truly show what Kyle O’Reilly is all about and it provides the greatest visual representation of my style. The knowledge I gained from the legends there is invaluable and the respect shown from the fans is humbling. I would absolutely consider working there full-time and hope to eventually end up back there. Whether that is in six months or six years remains to be seen, however I definitely have unfinished business in NJPW.
SI.com: What are your goals for the remainder of 2017? Where will we see you next?
O’Reilly: My goals for 2017 include continuing my personal growth as a performer and seeking out new opportunities and platforms to display my abilities. I just want to keep being and becoming the best version of myself and the best professional wrestler I can possibly be. There are a lot of questions about where I might end up next and hopefully those questions will be answered sooner than later. Wherever Kyle O’Reilly does end up, expect “The Violent Artist” to remain one of the best wrestlers in the world.