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Report: Kyle O'Reilly's Injury on NXT Was a Work After Being Stretchered out
February 18, 2021
Kyle O'Reilly reportedly did not suffer a legitimate injury as a result of an attack at the hands of Adam Cole on Wednesday's episode of WWE NXT.
Ryan Satin of Fox Sports reported that O'Reilly did not suffer a seizure or any type of "medical episode" on or after NXT despite internet speculation to the contrary. Satin noted that O'Reilly's "injury" was merely part of the storyline.
Multiple people in attendance at the NXT show posted photos of O'Reilly being tended to by medical personnel and Triple H after NXT went off the air:
Jays Nerdy Life @JaysNerdyLife@KORcombat you're in my thoughts. Stay strong brother! Hopefully this isn't nothing to serious. My thoughts are with you and your family. Wishing Kyle Greenwood aka Kyle O'Reilly a speedy recovery. ✌🤘🤟🙏 #WWENXT #WWE #AEW @TripleH #TripleH #prowrestling @steveaustinBSR https://t.co/gHEVQ1T0uF
With regard to speculation that O'Reilly suffered a seizure, Satin reported that there was "no intent" for it to look like O'Reilly had suffered a seizure, and it was merely a case of the rumor spreading online after some fans mentioned it.
The angle involving O'Reilly and Cole was a follow-up to Sunday's NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day pay-per-view, which saw Cole superkick O'Reilly to close the show.
A fired-up O'Reilly called Cole out to start Wednesday's NXT, but after Cole didn't show up, NXT general manager William Regal booked a six-man tag team match in the main event pitting O'Reilly, Roderick Strong and Finn Balor against Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch.
Cole showed up during the match while the referee was knocked out, kicking O'Reilly and then suplexing him on to the steel steps.
Taking a wrestler out on a stretcher to sell a devastating move or attack has long been a common practice in professional wrestling, and it appears as though that is what happened with O'Reilly.
Given the enormity and importance of the angle, as it essentially solidified the breakup of Undisputed Era, WWE had to pull out all the stops.
With Cole injuring O'Reilly from a storyline perspective, it sets the stage for what could be the most personal feud in the history of NXT along the same lines as Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa and Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn.
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