Kyle O’Reilly ‘really proud’ of Adam Cole for taking care of his health
Kyle O’Reilly is proud of his friend Adam Cole for prioritizing his health and taking the time to get better.
Cole was scheduled for a TNT Championship defense against Kyle Fletcher at AEW All In: Texas this summer before the match was canceled at the last minute due to Cole suffering a concussion. At the pay-per-view, Cole made an appearance and gave an emotional address to fans, telling them he loves them and will be gone for a while.
This wasn’t the first concussion for Cole, who also battled concussion issues in 2022 that threatened his career. It remains to be seen when he’ll be able to return.
O’Reilly appeared on AEW Unrestricted this week and discussed how much he loves working with Cole. It’s sad that Cole is not able to compete right now, but O’Reilly is proud of him for how he’s handled the injury.
“It’s so natural and just so fun and just — we just have so much love for each other,” O’Reilly said. “It’s unfortunate that it had to sort of, not end the way it did because nothing’s ever over, but it’s just such a sad unfortunate circumstance what happened at All In. But I’m just really proud of Adam for making that call and for being the stand-up guy that he is and for taking his health into account and for starting that process to getting well again. Like, it’s huge. I’m just forever proud of him, man.”
Being friends with Cole has not only helped O’Reilly in his career, it’s made him a better human being.
“I would not have any career without Adam Cole,” O’Reilly said. “The man I am, let alone the wrestler I am today, [is] because of Adam Cole. So I’m eternally forever grateful for him and for everything he’s done for me, my career.”
O’Reilly and Cole have been linked together as partners and opponents throughout their time in ROH, NXT, and AEW. Their AEW faction with Roderick Strong is named Paragon.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.