Adam Cole

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

Matt Hardy Gives Positive Update on Jeff Hardy After WWE Release

AEW star Matt Hardy discussed the status of his younger brother after Jeff Hardy was released from his WWE contract last week.

Appearing Monday on his Twitch stream (h/t Jon Alba of AdFreeShows.com), Matt said Jeff is "happy and healthy" and "the best version of himself" he has ever seen. Matt also said there is "no reason to be concerned."

Prior to his release, PWInsider.com (h/t WrestlingInc's Marc Middleton) reported that Jeff was sent home from a WWE live-event loop in Texas. That occurred after he teamed with Drew McIntyre and King Xavier Woods against Roman Reigns and The Usos in Edinburg, Texas.

Hardy reportedly looked "sluggish" during the match and exited through the crowd before it was over.

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp later reported that Jeff was released by WWE after refusing to go to rehab.

The 44-year-old has a history of drug and alcohol misuse, and he was arrested twice in 2019 for alcohol-related offenses.

Matt confirmed Monday that Jeff declined rehab and expressed his belief that Jeff was right in not thinking that he needed to go to rehab.

Prior to his release, Jeff was in a desirable spot in WWE, as he was one of the top babyfaces on SmackDown and was seemingly in line to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship eventually.

Now, the former WWE and world heavyweight champion is a free agent, and it is unclear when or where he will resume his pro wrestling career.

Injury Update on Street Profits, Mysterios

An injury suffered by Montez Ford reportedly led to Monday's scheduled match between The Street Profits and The Mysterios getting postponed.

Prior to Raw, WWE announced that the finals of the RK-Bro-nament would not be held this week because of injury issues on both teams:

WWE did not expand upon the nature of the injuries or who suffered them, but Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) reported there was "something up" with Ford.

Meltzer provided no additional information on whether Ford's issue was injury-related or something else, and he also couldn't confirm if Rey or Dominik Mysterio were injured as well.

Last week, Riddle and Randy Orton set up a tournament to determine which team would be the next to challenge them for the Raw Tag Team Championships.

The Street Profits defeated AJ Styles and Omos in the first round, while Rey and Dominik got past The Alpha Academy to set up the final clash.

WWE advertised Ford and Angelo Dawkins against The Mysterios throughout the week, but the decision was made to pull the match from Raw just hours before.

Instead, Riddle faced Otis in a singles match and lost, thus potentially putting The Alpha Academy back in the title mix.

The absence of The Street Profits and The Mysterios from the show may have also played a role in WWE having Bobby Lashley work triple duty against Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and WWE champion Big E.

Adam Cole in Favor of O'Reilly Joining AEW

AEW star Adam Cole is open to a reunion with former Undisputed Era stablemate Kyle O'Reilly.

After spending more than four years in NXT, O'Reilly's WWE contract officially expired last week, making him a free agent, per PWInsider.com.

The same happened to Cole in August, and he went on to sign with AEW rather than remaining in WWE, making his AEW debut at All Out in September.

During a panel at C2E2 over the weekend, Cole was asked about the possibility of O'Reilly joining him in AEW. According to Mukherjee, Cole responded by saying: "This is the honest to god truth, I have no idea what Kyle is going to do. I really don't. I'm not sure he even knows what he's going to do. But the idea of getting to reunite with Kyle as well as Bobby [Fish], hell yeah I would love that. Hell yeah I would, absolutely."

Cole and O'Reilly have a friendship dating back years to their time together in Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerilla. That led to them making the move to WWE at essentially the same time and forming the stable known as Undisputed Era with Fish.

Fish has already joined Cole in AEW, as he signed with the company after getting released by WWE. While Cole is aligned with The Young Bucks, he has done some things on screen with Fish already.

Undisputed Era is one of the most successful stables in wrestling history. After Roderick Strong joined the original group of three, all four members held titles at one point with Cole as NXT champion, Strong as North American champion and O'Reilly and Fish as NXT tag team champions.

Half of the group is already in AEW, and it would undoubtedly make sense for O'Reilly to make the move as well, especially because of the possibility of a rivalry between Undisputed Era and The Elite, which is composed of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.

It is possible no decisions have been made, but O'Reilly is now free and clear to appear for any wrestling promotion at any time.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: profanity).

The latest episode of NXT 2.0 felt like the end of an era, as Johnny Gargano seemingly bid farewell to the Capital Wrestling Center. His performance at WarGames and the poignant promo on Tuesday night were a fitting send-off for the man who proudly carried the flag for the black-and-gold brand for so long.

Meanwhile, Kyle O'Reilly's time with the company possibly ended with a whimper.

Like Gargano, The Undisputed Era's air guitar-playing virtuoso hasn't renewed his contract with WWE. According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, his initial deal is set to expire this week. The two wrestlers even hugged after NXT went off the air and enjoyed a warm reaction from the CWC crowd.

That's quite a turnaround for someone who wrestled in a cage match to open the episode, but it has been a puzzling few months for O'Reilly. At one point, he seemed destined to win the NXT Championship and produce matches with the brand's up-and-coming stars.

However, it's hard not to feel indifferent about what could have been his final appearance on a show that he and his stablemates dominated for nearly three years.

An Undisputed Track Record

Outside of Adam Cole, O'Reilly was arguably the most consistent member of The Undisputed Era. His tag team matches alongside Bobby Fish—and later Roderick Strong—will stand the test of time. To date, he holds the record for the most reigns with the NXT tag team title at three.

In addition, O'Reilly was a part of the NXT Tag Team of the Year for three consecutive years. He is the only competitor in the history of the brand to accomplish this feat.

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the 34-year-old's work outside of WWE because he and Fish were already an accomplished pairing. However, the same fans would see the potential for him to go on a successful run as a singles competitor due to his time with Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and PWG.

If you saw his classic match against Kushida in the 2016 NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors, you already knew what he was capable of. So, it was nice to see the former ROH world champion showcase his hard-hitting in-ring style against Finn Balor at NXT TakeOver 31. Their highly acclaimed encounter was one of the best matches of the year.

The Irishman ultimately retained the NXT title after a hard-fought bout, but O'Reilly proved he could go the distance in front of a new fanbase. The Canadian not only earned the champion's respect but he also made a strong case as to why he could be his successor.

Too Cool for School

On Dec. 16, 2020, O'Reilly defeated Pete Dunne to earn another shot at The Prince. Their highly anticipated rematch at New Year's Evil was tremendous. Still, the gifted striker was unable to wrest the brand's top prize away from Balor, and it slowly became clear that a returning Karrion Kross would inevitably regain the mantle.

Kross would go on to do so at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver in April. Meanwhile, O'Reilly and Cole attempted to recreate some of the magic of their rivalry from ROH in an unsanctioned match to close the show. In the end, the 16-year veteran exacted revenge on the former Undisputed Era leader, but he surprisingly never received a one-on-one match with the new champion.

Instead, he continued to battle with his real-life friend throughout the summer in a feud that offered diminishing returns. Yes, the two produced a trilogy of entertaining matches but it never quite reached the heights of the storied tension it attempted to replicate. Even more, KOR came out of it with less fanfare for whatever reason.

It seemed like the moment had passed and ending Cole's stint with NXT in their best 2-Out-of-3 Falls match wasn't enough to reignite the spark that was there last year. The Kool Kyle gimmick didn't help matters as it effectively turned a naturally charismatic character into a cookie-cutter good guy. Even worse, the new persona never got the chance to develop into anything more than a few quirky segments.

When WWE revamped the black-and-gold brand in September, it became clear there weren't any immediate plans for O'Reilly after Cole's exit. The most glaring indication was the way he was inconspicuously replaced in the Fatal 4-Way match for the vacant world title on the series premiere of NXT 2.0.

In the following months, he took part in an uninspiring pairing with the newcomer who took his place in that bout, Von Wagner. It was a baffling step backward that didn't pay off until the second-generation prospect tried to turn on him at WarGames.

That's when fans got a glimpse of the O'Reilly they fell in love with for the first time in over a year. He even flashed Undisputed Era's trademark sign after he prevented Wagner's predictable attempt to jump him following their match with Imperium.

Is It Time To Get Band Back Together?

Unfortunately, this bit of nostalgia was fleeting as it led to the steel cage match on the latest episode of NXT 2.0 and what looks like O'Reilly's final appearance on the brand.

Later that night, he tweeted a black-and-white image of his last hurrah with the caption "Truly overwhelmed by all the love and heartfelt messages. By no means does this mean goodbye... just smell ya later."

That would seem to suggest this is at least the end of his time with NXT. However, this could be a chance for KOR to reunite with Fish and do what they do best as reDRagon. The decorated duo have made an impact all over the world and would be a perfect fit for AEW's stacked tag team division.

This would be a fitting new start for the three-time NXT tag team champion as they debuted separately in 2017 before they formed The Undisputed Era at TakeOver: Brooklyn III. On the surface, that may seem regressive for someone who had world title aspirations. However, it has to be enticing to work with his close friends again and continue to provide high-quality tag team wrestling with a bevy of new opponents.

That isn't the demotion it appears to be with WWE because the art form is prominently featured on AEW programming. Sure, O'Reilly could roll the dice and hope he eventually earns a top spot with the company. But that seems risky when other smaller guys like him haven't fared that well. Look at where Balor is right now after such an amazing career resurgence with NXT.

Yes, O'Reilly's chances of coming in and becoming AEW world champion within the next year seem pretty slim. One could also argue the company's roster is growing too crowded heading into one of the most exciting free-agent periods the industry has ever seen.

Still, the potential for a new start with old friends has to be appealing. That may not be undisputed but it's better than uncertainty.

Kenny Omega is reportedly set to undergo multiple surgeries after dropping the AEW World Championship to "Hangman" Adam Page on Saturday.

On Thursday's edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer ran down some of the ailments Omega has been dealing with recently (beginning at the 30-second mark):

Meltzer said Omega has been working through knee, shoulder and abdominal injuries, as well as a hernia. Omega also recently said he has dealt with a case of vertigo since 2018.

Meltzer noted that Omega will "most likely" undergo multiple surgeries, although it isn't clear precisely what surgeries he will get or when he will get them.

Meltzer also reported that while February has been mentioned as a possible return date for Omega, nothing is "set in stone."

Omega set the stage for an extended period of leave on Wednesday's episode of Dynamite. In a backstage segment with fellow Elite members The Young Bucks and Adam Cole, Omega said he needed to go away and asked The Bucks to hold down the fort.

AEW teased some tension between Omega and Cole during the segment, as Cole thought Omega was addressing him only for Omega to say he was referring to The Young Bucks instead.

The 38-year-old Omega won the AEW World Championship by beating Jon Moxley in December 2020 and held it for 346 days before dropping it to Page, giving him the record for the longest AEW World title reign.

Omega also held the Impact Wrestling World Championship and is the reigning AAA Mega champion, all of which contributed to Pro Wrestling Illustrated naming him the top wrestler of the year for 2021.

While Omega is widely regarded as one of the best in-ring workers in the world and is one of AEW's top stars, the company has enough to get by without him for the time being thanks to the emergence of Page and the recent arrival of Cole, CM Punk and Bryan Danielson.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Christian Cage and Jurassic Express defeated Superkliq, comprised of Adam Cole and The Young Bucks, in a Falls Count Anywhere six-man tag team match at AEW Full Gear on Saturday.

This match featured the night's best moves as Luchasaurus executed a shooting star press onto Superkliq, sending the group tumbling to the floor as Jungle Boy looked on in amazement:

The whole match was epic and featured an aerial attack from Christian Cage, thumbtacks, garbage cans and a busted-open Adam Cole. 

Christian Cage and Jurassic Express won after Jungle Boy's Conchairto on Matt Jackson.

Christian, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus have had issues with The Elite for the past few months, and they were exacerbated at All Out in September when Cole made his All Elite Wrestling debut.

Cole appeared after Kenny Omega beat Christian to retain the AEW World Championship, and while it initially looked as though he was there to save Christian and Jurassic Express, he joined The Elite in attacking them instead.

Even before that night, Christian and Jurassic Express were embroiled in a heated rivalry with all members of The Elite.

Christian beat Omega for the Impact World Championship before losing to Omega in the AEW world title match at All Out, and the team of Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus fell short against The Young Bucks in an AEW World Tag Team Championship match because of interference.

Jungle Boy went on to have a singles match against Cole on the Sept. 29 episode of Dynamite following the events of All Out, and Cole prevailed in what was only his third AEW match.

Saturday marked the third time some combination of Cole and The Young Bucks have faced Christian and Jurassic Express in a tag team match.

The first time, Superkliq beat Christian, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus on the Grand Slam edition of Rampage at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City in September.

Then, on the Oct. 6 episode of Dynamite, Cole, The Young Bucks and Omega defeated Bryan Danielson, Christian, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus in an eight-man tag team match.

There was a different dynamic at Full Gear since Falls Count Anywhere rules were in place, and the six combatants could do anything they pleased.

Ultimately, Christian and Jurassic Express finally came out on top and gained some retribution against Superkliq.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).