Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly have invaded NXT with a brash attitude and intentions to shake up the system at its very core. They’re three men with internationally acclaimed backgrounds that share one common goal: to rule NXT.
When Cole, Fish & O’Reilly first burst onto the scene at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, their impact was immediately felt by then-new NXT Champion Drew McIntyre, who was the target of a blindside attack. Since then, the Superstars known as The Undisputed ERA have expanded their campaign of mayhem to include SAnitY. This week, all three men sit down with WWE.com to discuss their relationship with each other and their objectives in NXT.
WWE.COM: Thank you for joining me, gentlemen. Adam, let’s start with you. Why did the three of you choose NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III as your moment to burst onto the scene of NXT?
ADAM COLE: Here’s the deal. You don’t make a statement unless you make noise. We knew that what we were doing was going to cause a lot of ruckus. We knew it would get people talking. And that’s exactly what we wanted. The only way you make a name for yourself in this sport is to make a statement, a loud statement, and that’s exactly what we did at TakeOver: Brooklyn.
WWE.COM: Bobby, you made your NXT debut several months prior to Cole and O’Reilly’s arrivals. Did you know about the planned invasion back then?
BOBBY FISH: Nothing I do is impulsive; everything I do is based around a sound strategy. Of course I knew all along. This was a deliberate course of action designed to expose the holes within NXT, capitalize on those weaknesses, and ensure success.
WWE.COM: Kyle, you and Fish have had a great deal of worldwide success as a tag team, while you and Cole have been rivals and partners in the past. What’s the relationship been like among all three of you?
KYLE O’REILLY: The three of us have traveled the world together and headlined pay-per-views, both as friends and enemies. We’ve been bitter career rivals that competed and strived for our own personal gain and success. In that same breath, we are ready and willing to put aside any grievance for the common good and underlying goal. Bobby and I have always had each other’s backs and are like brothers. Our past tag team success is a direct result of this mentality. We were once known as “reDRagon.” We captured the IWGP Junior Tag Team Titles in Japan for two reigns, including a successful title defense in the Tokyo Dome.
Adam and I haven’t exactly had such a cut-and-dry relationship. We initially started as a tag team known as “Future Shock” in Ring of Honor, however, when two hard-nosed, competitive athletes like ourselves strive to be the best in this industry, there is bound to be a falling out, and let’s just say we settled things in the ring like men. Adam Cole is perhaps my greatest opponent, and there is nobody else I would rather trust my life with. We’ve put aside our differences because we know the best chance we have to make an impact in WWE is together as a unit. Steel sharpens steel and the three of us demand and expect one another to continue our dominance in NXT and prove to the WWE Universe that we are, in fact, undisputed.
WWE.COM: Speaking of being “undisputed,” how did you guys come up with your group name, The Undisputed ERA?
COLE: When you say the word “undisputed,” what do you think of? You think of something that is untouchable, undeniable. Myself, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly are all of those things. We’ve proven before we got here that we are one in a million, and we’ll do it again here in NXT. Also, people talk about the different eras in wrestling — The Golden Era, The Attitude Era, The Reality Era. This is our era; it’s our time to show the world who runs this sport.
O’REILLY: The Undisputed ERA isn’t just a cute name that’s meant to sell a bunch of T-shirts. It’s our mantra. It’s our way of life. Our success is a direct result of the effort and dominance that we put forth inside the squared circle. We are undisputed. This is our era.
WWE.COM: Is there any concern that you’ve made too many enemies too quickly, in both Drew McIntyre and SAnitY?
COLE: SAnitY prides itself on being unpredictable, right? Well, nothing turned the NXT Universe upside down like The Undisputed ERA’s debut. I respect the fact that SAnitY marches to the beat of their own drum, but the problem is, they aren’t on our level.
As far as Drew, he’s an impressive athlete. Drew had been chasing that NXT Championship, and he finally achieved his dream. I almost feel bad for the guy. I feel bad that after all that hard work, all the sacrifice, it’s going to be taken away by me. And there’s not a damn thing he can do about it.
FISH: Being the best at what one does naturally creates enemies; it’s the world we live in. Success is no accident, but one thing it breeds is contempt from those who aren’t willing to put in the work required to achieve it. Success is all we know; it’s in our DNA. Lions don’t lose sleep over the opinion of sheep, and whether it’s walking through that locker room or inside the ring, we know no fear. The insecurity of others is not our concern.
O’REILLY: Frankly, we aren’t afraid of making enemies. There’s a saying in this sport I’ve heard countless times: “You can make friends, or you can make money.” Enough said. We are here to make money. The more enemies we have, the more big-money matches we make. I welcome anybody who claims they are offended by our actions to say so to our face. It just makes it easier to discern that you are, in fact, an enemy of the state to us. The only guys I care about are Bobby, Adam and myself.
WWE.COM: What message do you have for the rest of NXT?
FISH: You will never understand what drives The Undisputed ERA, so as hard as you might try, you simply can’t relate to us. We are here to break the will of all those we come in contact with. I will quote the incomparable Conor McGregor when I tell you, The Undisputed ERA didn’t come here to take part; we came here to take over!
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