10 Big Predictions For NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11
6. Kyle O'Reilly Gets Screwed
Kyle O’Reilly has been part of Ring Of Honor’s active roster for close to eight years now, but he had to wait until a couple of weeks ago to finally become ROH Champion. O’Reilly defeated the Bullet Club’s Adam Cole in a brutal No DQ match at ROH’s year-ending Final Battle show, and after all the hard work he’d put in for the company, it felt long overdue.
O’Reilly is a tremendous wrestler who brings an exciting, hard-hitting MMA-based style to the table, and his opponent is the ultimate cocky heel. Cole has become a cult favourite across America, and while he’s still making a name for himself in Japan, the former champion is en route to becoming a huge global superstar.
Both men have been heavily linked with a move to WWE, and that’s where things get interesting here. Cole’s ROH contract expires in April, O’Reilly will technically be working Wrestle Kingdom 11 without a contract, and neither man has committed their future to the company. Whoever wins, there’s a strong chance neither of them will be around much longer.
A loss here would make poor Kyle the shortest reigning ROH Champion of all-time, but that’s our prediction. From a business perspective, it just doesn’t make sense to keep the title on an uncontracted wrestler, and the bookers can at least keep O’Reilly strong by having Cole’s Bullet Club buddies interfere to screw him out of victory.