AEW’s Kyle O’Reilly’s injury is worse than first feared and “will require surgery”, according to the former NXT Tag Team Champion. O’Reilly featured heavily for AEW after his debut in December 2021, but has not wrestled since an AEW Championship qualifying match against Jon Moxley just prior to the Forbidden Door event.
He hasn’t competed since the June 8th 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite but has generally kept quiet about his situation. In July, he confirmed he was injured but “didn’t know all the information” in an interview with “This is VANCOLOUR” podcast, but refused to disclose the nature of the injury.
“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. 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.”
He has kept quiet about how he hurt himself but has recently confirmed that he will need surgery. The Canadian star was set for a singles run in AEW, clear given he had competed against Jon Moxley in a match to face Hiroshi Tanahashi for the AEW Championship. However, that has since been derailed and has been out of the ring for nearly six months, just like his partner Adam Cole.
‘Beyond Type 1’ published a feature story on O’Reilly, where the Canadian former WWE Superstar spoke about his journey wrestling with diabetes and how his current injury is doing. He revealed he is dealing with a “significant injury” and that it “will require surgery”.
Right now, for the first time in 17 years, I’m dealing with a significant injury that will require surgery. I’m using this time to reevaluate myself, my training, my diet and my diabetes care, to come back better than ever, have a better A1C, be an overall better athlete. Diabetes burnout is so real, especially when you’re flying cross-country, changing time zones, you don’t know when your next meal is coming. With my career and diabetes, that becomes difficult. As wrestlers, we basically go until the wheels fall off, so this has been a good moment to hear, ‘Kyle, you need to take care of yourself, pump the brakes a little, take some time off and get this fixed.’ It’s a lot like my diagnosis—truly a blessing in disguise. I remember my mother telling me that, rest her soul.
The fact he has yet to have the surgery on the yet-unnamed injury indicates that he could be out for an even longer time than anticipated. At this point, he is close to being injured for longer in AEW than he has been fit. Adding to the release of his partner Bobby Fish and concussion to Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly’s injury could not have come at a worse time and has made his stay in AEW a rather unsuccessful one.
Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com noted that like Adam Cole, O’Reilly reportedly has a five-year contract with AEW. This would mean he has another four years left in AEW for him to heal up and move on to the AEW main event in the singles division.
A feud with Adam Cole is likely, as it was in NXT, once both men are back from their respective injuries, but the long-thought rivalry between the Undisputed Era and The Elite may not come to fruition. This is due to the release of Bobby Fish and the fact that Roderick Strong still wrestles for the WWE, in NXT.