Kyle O’Reilly is as legit as they come inside of the ring.
The WWE NXT star spoke with DAZN ahead of his five-way NXT Championship match at this weekend’s NXT TakeOver: In Your House pay-per-view event.
O’Reilly touted MMA training as a factor in his near-flawless in-ring technique.
“It started as just a way for me to supplement my training as a way to help me become a better pro wrestler. Back when I first started trying to do a submission transition or kicks from kickboxing, it just didn’t look right until I started actually training and getting the footwork down and the timing down. Now when I do something like an armbar or roundhouse (kick), you can see that it’s a legitimate technique. I think that’s helped me tremendously in progressing my style. I didn’t start training until I’d already been a pro wrestler. I had those pro wrestler instincts with selling and timing. But now you add in the training, and I think that’s where my style really took off.”
The former NXT Tag-Team Champion also discussed his new character, being back in singles, the influence of Shawn Michaels among other topics.
