Bobby Fish Says Kyle O’Reilly is Going to ‘Astonish People,’ Comments on Chris Jericho’s Criticism of O’Reilly & Finn Balor

Bobby Fish is excited to see what Kyle O’Reilly does in his singles run and talked about it in a new interview with Sports Illustrated promoting tonight’s episode of NXT. You can check out highlights below:

On teaming up with Roderick Strong for tonight’s Tag Team Title match: “There is such a different flavor with me and Roddy. It’s different than me and Kyle, but it works … There is a lot of history predating this, and a lot of that was working with each other in Japan. Then we worked against each other a lot, and we were opponents numerous times in Ring of Honor. That’s a big part of the Undisputed Era. Kyle and Adam Cole have history, too, when they teamed as Future Shock, and then me and Kyle with reDRagon. Our history together is a big part of who we are.”

On his chemistry with O’Reilly: “Our styles are different, but there is a common thread between what we both do. There is a discipline to pro wrestling and martial arts, and there is no substitute for repetition. MMA has a strong influence on pro wrestling these days, but if you’re going to do that, you can’t fake it. You need to know your stuff. We’ve been sharpening that sword over two continents in multiple companies. A culmination of that was Kyle’s TakeOver match with Finn Balor. Kyle blends the two worlds, and that’s also what keeps my flame burning.”

On O’Reilly’s singles run: “I’ll be honest, Kyle is my favorite wrestler. He’s going to astonish people with how well he does what he does. Right now, this is a time of exploration for all four of us in The Undisputed Era. We’re seeing where this leads us. These are my best friends in wrestling, and my best friends, period. For Kyle and me, we will always be known as a team, but that doesn’t mean we’re not capable of doing individual things. You’re seeing that right now with Kyle.”

On Chris Jericho criticizing O’Reilly’s match with Finn Balor for injuring both men: “I watched Jericho and Eddie Guerrero growing up. Their style was physical as hell. And the viewer is supposed to lose themselves in what they’re watching. I’m sorry, but if you see a s—load of daylight in between things, you’re going to have a hard time losing yourself in what’s being presented to you. I’ll take that fat lip. I’m sure Finn’s jaw is killing him right now, but I would imagine he wouldn’t take much back from that match. That’s how we go. I would not feel like my body or my well-being was in danger in the ring with either Finn or Kyle. Both guys work a style that I like, one that I’m preferential to. The three of us all did some time in New Japan. Having come from football and college, I got into pro wrestling because it wasn’t ballet. I’m not looking to maim anybody, but the strikes I’m looking to throw, I take a certain level of pride in that.”