10 Wrestlers AEW Stole From Under WWE's Nose

6. Kyle O'Reilly

Jamie Hayter
WWE.com

Following on from his former and future stablemate Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly landed in All Elite Wrestling on December 22nd 2021, having spent the last few months in WWE on the first few months of the new NXT.

2.0 wasn’t for everybody (to say the least), and O'Reilly felt too linked to the old world during a drawn-out feud with new prospect Von Wagner before his departure.

Unfortunately, his AEW run was blighted with equally dicey storytelling and a desperately unfortunate injury. When a do-over of The Undisputed Era alongside Cole and Bobby Fish didn't generate drama with The Elite from the off, the group suddenly felt as though they were coasting, and after just 15 matches, he was out with a long-term injury.

In that time, Fish left the company and Adam Cole - having spent time on the shelf himself - has turned babyface upon his return. O'Reilly will hopefully follow suit, if only so AEW doesn't bring about a return to the lengthy and dangerous matches with Cole that took such a toll in 2021.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett