Kyle O'Reilly Comments On Going Head-To-Head With AEW While In WWE NXT

Now a part of AEW, Kyle O’Reilly was one of NXT’s biggest weapons as the two brands went head-to-head in the ‘Wednesday Night Wars’, before leaving WWE in late 2021.

AEW eventually ‘won the war’ between the two brands, and during an appearance on Talk is Jericho alongside Bobby Fish, O’Reilly gave his thoughts on the rivalry:

“I thought it was so cool that it was back to two shows going head-to-head,” O’Reilly stated. “It felt like back in ‘98 when it was the Monday Night Wars and now we are part of it on Wednesday. Then on the other channel is guys that we came up with within this business that we are rooting for.

“We were rooting for AEW to kick ass because that elevated our game, and I know our game being elevated would elevate your guys’ game. It was a backscratching scenario of just trying to put out the best shows we possibly could, and I think the winners were the fans, man.”

NXT eventually moved to Tuesday nights, and later rebranded, but KOR doesn’t see this as NXT losing to AEW:

“I mean, it is what it is. It wasn’t like admitting defeat. That was a night and day change,” O’Reilly said. “That happened like overnight, the next time we came to TV everything was different, we are all changing.”

The former ROH World Champion also spoke of the different backstage cultures between NXT and AEW, noting the latter is calmer and better for his mental health:

“Everyone is so cool, friendly, and outgoing. Not to say that people aren’t like that elsewhere. But I just felt like this cloud of pressure, like a weight was always on my shoulders whenever I was backstage at a Raw or SmackDown. Not so much at NXT,” he added. “After the rebrand maybe a little bit more so, stressful environment, a little bit more eggshell walking. Just for me and my mental and physical health, that doesn’t do me a lot of favours. I feel a lot more calm and peace of mind here.”

H/T: Wrestling Inc.