Kyle O’Reilly is enjoying a career rebirth in All Elite Wrestling

In its three years since inception, All Elite Wrestling has helped boost several performers, showing them in a different light than they’ve been featured in other organizations. The list is long, but few are experiencing quite the resurgence as Kyle O’Reilly. While much hasn’t changed dramatically about his presentation, the KOR that fans enjoy at this point in 2022 is more akin to the one seen before stepping into WWE and this is a development that fans should embrace.

Think back to the moment that Bobby Fish and O’Reilly joined Adam Cole to attack Drew McIntyre at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn III. That was the moment that helped put KOR in front of a wide range of fans that may have missed his previous work in New Japan or Ring of Honor. As a part of The Undisputed Era in NXT he served his place as an exceptional tag team worker, but when the direction of the brand started to shift it was clear that O’Reilly would not factor into the main event.

He made the right decision to walk away from WWE and headed over to AEW to rejoin Cole and Fish. From that moment, fans are getting a reminder of just how great a performer O’Reilly is in every facet of professional wrestling.

Of course, O’Reilly is going to excel as a part of reDRagon. It’s a matter of time before he and Fish carry either the AEW tag team titles or even pick up the ROH belts once again. They can work with any duo and any style on the roster, plus they are central in one of the biggest storylines the company must tell in the future, so expect those belts to hit their waists at some point.

But many are surprised with O’Reilly’s booking as a singles competitor. In the last two months, he’s had well-received matches against Jungle Boy, Rey Fenix, and an exceptional match against Darby Allin. These matches were “quick” but effective in presenting O’Reilly as a credible threat across the roster. Will he become an AEW World Champion? Perhaps, but there’s a laundry list of men in front of him who should hold that title. But can we see O’Reilly holding one of the “midcard” titles in AEW or even one of ROH’s belts? That seems more viable. Jonathan Gresham versus Kyle O’Reilly, please.

AEW continues to do a wonderful job of making its entire roster look capable of winning a match, which is important for the believability of professional wrestling. Kyle O’Reilly is getting a career refresh, giving more fans the opportunity to see the guy that hardcore fans fell in love with years ago.