Kyle O'Reilly was the big surprise from Adam Cole at AEW Holiday Bash as he made his AEW debut to help Cole defeat Orange Cassidy.
Cole and O'Reilly, alongside Bobby Fish, have plenty of history in wrestling, most notably as part of Undisputed ERA in NXT where they were the most dominant faction on the brand since forming in August 2017.
O'Reilly became a free agent in December and decided to leave NXT for AEW, much like Cole did in September.
Speaking to Miesha Tate & Renee Paquette on Throwing Down, Cole discussed O'Reilly's decision to join him in AEW.
"You think about all the stuff we did for those four years in NXT and how awesome it was with those guys. I think, 'Okay, cool, we had that moment together and it was a fun time period.' Imagining doing that elsewhere is surreal to think. At the same time, I have not not worked in the same company as Kyle O'Reilly since 2009. I started wrestling in 2008. We have worked together as opponents or as a group or tag team since 2009. That small period when Kyle was not in AEW, that was the only three or four months I had not been in the same company as him. It feels right. At this point, I'm convinced that wherever Kyle is, I'm gonna end up. It's just meant to be. Yes, it's beyond cool. I love Kyle O'Reilly to death," he said.
While Cole and O'Reilly have been tied together since 2009, Cole didn't try to influence Kyle's decision.
"Kyle is a great guy and it's a big reason why I love him so much. He has a similar story to me where, he had a wonderful experience at NXT, he has nothing bad to say about anybody there. He had a great time and grew a lot as a wrestler, just like I grew a lot as a wrestler in my time there. He was weighing the pros and cons and thinking 'what would be good for me.' I let him make his own decision," he said. "The last thing I wanted to do was try to talk him into doing something. Kyle is very good at making the right call and making the right decision. I knew he was going to do what was best for him and his family. As he was weighing the options and we were talking, I was there as a soundboard. Kyle decided on his own and I think he made the right call and I'm excited he's here."
Cole and O'Reilly will team with Fish on Wednesday's AEW New Year's Smash against the trio of Orange Cassidy, Chuckie T, & Trent.
On the latest Being The Elite, Cole said it was Fish's idea to bring in O'Reilly as the surprise, which the Young Bucks did not seem pleased with.
Fightful will have live coverage of AEW New Year's Smash beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
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