Kyle O’Reilly Feared He Would Never Wrestle Again After Injury

Kyle O’Reilly has endured significant physical strain throughout his career, culminating in his arrival in AEW alongside several compatriots. Absent for an extended period due to injury, he made his long-awaited return during AEW Revolution. He came back after a near career-ending neck injury and O’Reilly has now admitted that he feared he would never wrestle again.

Kyle O’Reilly underwent neck fusion surgery in September 2022, leading to expectations of prolonged absence from action. Despite the significant setback, he embarked on a rehabilitation journey and demonstrated great progress over the years.

During the AEW Revolution pay-per-view, Kyle O’Reilly made a surprising return to the company after Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong’s match. He has since made a couple of appearances on AEW television as well.

While speaking digital exclusive, Kyle O’Reilly talked about his time away from in-ring action since 2022 and his eventual return. O’Reilly admitted that he feared he wouldn’t ever return to the ring again at one point.

“I had neck surgery. I was expecting that, but I wasn’t expecting to have a seriously rare complication, where I would wake up in the hospital bed and no longer have the use of my right arm. No, I didn’t really bank on that one. I’ve been thrown so many curveballs in life. I feel like every single moment you spend in this business is one unexpected curveball thrown your way. We learn how to deal with those, we learn how to hit a home run every single time we step up to bat. Then what happens when you don’t really get a chance to step up to bat? So that’s kind of where my mind has been for the last two years. I don’t know. I really didn’t know if I was gonna wrestle again. For a long while, I was pretty damn sure that in June 2022, my match with Jon Moxley was the last match of my career, and I was okay with that. I really was. If I could just get my arm back and I can brush my teeth again, I can wipe my ass like a normal human again, and u can take care of my daughter and be a father, that’s really all that I was focused on. That’s all that mattered.”

”It took a long time to get any of that back. I couldn’t move my arm for damn near ten months. But I just had a lot of support, man. So many of the boys reached out. So many fans wishing me well and hoping to see me wrestle again. The fact that one person, anyone in the world wanted to see Kyle O’Reilly in the ring again, one person that gave a damn about me, that was enough motivation that I would ever need, in this lifetime or the next. I’m a kid that had type one diabetes that’s from Canada that was told he could never pursue a career in wrestling, and somehow was able to. So I have that with me, that shred of confidence. I know I’m a good wrestler, I know I’m a damn good wrestler. I know I’m technically proficient. I know deep down, I can still go, in my mind. If the body can hold up, that remains to be seen. We’ll have to see. We’ll have to see what happens when that first crack on the mat and my body hits, and all the air just shoots out of your lungs, how I’ll be able to recover.”

Kyle O’Reilly is set to square off against Bryan Keith on the March 16 episode of AEW Collision in his first match in almost two years, so we will have to wait and see how that match will turn out.

Are you looking forward to Kyle O’Reilly’s in-ring return? Let us know in the comments section below!