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On the April 26th edition of AEW Dynamite, wrestling fans witnessed a company debut that no one saw coming, when Roderick Strong came out to save Adam Cole from an attack by the JAS. There had been reports just days before that Strong, who was absent on WWE NXT for weeks, was still under contract, but that WWE wasn't using him. For Roderick Strong to finally be in AEW and reunited with Adam Cole was great to see, however, the timing may be too late for what we really wanted: a full Undisputed Era reunion.
The Undisputed Era Was The Best Part Of NXT
In the black and gold era of WWE NXT, no group was cooler than The Undisputed Era. The faction found its roots in Ring of Honor, where all four were competitors. Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish would be the first to jump to NXT in 2017. They quickly joined forces with a debuting Adam Cole to attack NXT Champion Drew McIntyre. It was then that The Undisputed Era was born, but it wasn't until that they successfully recruited Roderick Strong that the unit was complete.
From 2017-2021, The Undisputed Era ruled NXT. They were the baddest faction on the brand, loved by fans despite the fact that they worked as heels for most of their run. They were too cool, their music too catchy, their success to great to boo them. Adam Cole was the leader, becoming both the NXT North American and NXT Champion. Everyone at one point held gold at the same time, with Cole as the NXT Champ, Strong as the North American Champion, and O'Reilly and Fish as the Tag Team Champions.
RELATED: 5 Reasons The Elite Are The Best Current Stable in Wrestling (& 5 Why It’s the Undisputed Era)
Roderick Strong Gets Left Behind As The Rest Of The Undisputed Era Leaves WWE
The group was unstoppable. Though they feuded at the end and "broke up", it was contracts coming to an end that finally ended The Undisputed Era as well, with 2021 seeing Adam Cole make the move to AEW in September 2021. For a few months Cole tagged along with his former Elite brethren in Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. In November, however, with Bobby Fish having been released by WWE, Fish showed up in AEW. He aligned himself with Cole, and then a month later, Kyle O'Reilly showed up in AEW as well.
The trio became known as The Undisputed Elite. There was tension building between the new faction and The Young Bucks going into 2022, with many hopes that this would lead to The Undisputed Elite vs. The Elite once Kenny Omega came back from injury. However, Omega took longer than expected to return and in June Cole suffered a brutal concussion at the first Forbidden Door pay-per-view. Fish and O'Reilly suffered injuries as well, making the reunion brief.
For many, it hadn't been a true reunion anyway because Roderick Strong was missing. His WWE contract hadn't expired, and he hadn't been released, leaving him stuck in NXT, a brand that had undergone a complete overhaul in the 2.0 youth movement. Strong looked out of place in the Diamond Mine faction. He was desinted for more but trapped, with WWE refusing his request to be released. Even his wife, Marina Shafir, was now working with AEW.
RELATED: Adam Cole "Would Love" Roderick Strong To Join AEW
Kyle O'Reilly Is Hurt & Bobby Fish Is With Impact Wrestling Now
It has been one of the year's feel good stories to see Adam Cole back in AEW, after it looked like his wrestling career might be over. It was fun to see Roderick Strong debut in AEW to save him, but it didn't have quite the impact it could have. Now that Strong is finally out of WWE, it's the perfect time for The Undisputed Era, or The Undisputed Elite, to rule AEW, but now it seems like it's too late. Kyle O'Reilly has been out since last summer after having a serious neck fusion surgery, which has been complicated due to his issues with Diabetes.
Bobby Fish, having not done much of note in AEW without Cole, left in August 2022, after his short contract with the company ran out. He has spent parts of the last several months with IMPACT Wrestling, but now his contract there might be up as well. There is a little bit of hope that maybe the reunion we all want to see can finally happen. Perhaps Kyle O'Reilly can make it back from an injury that has cost him a year of his career. Maybe Tony Khan will resign Bobby Fish, assuming he'd even want to return. The man is no fan of CM Punk, with him kicking out of the GTS during an AEW match they had. That led to issues between the two, and with Punk now likely to return, Fish might decide he's better off just staying away.
There is a sliver of hope that Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O'Reilly, and Bobby Fish can all be together one more time. Even if dreams come true and it does happen, it's likely to be a short run. More than likely, we'll be left wondering what could have been.
