Former WWE star reveals Shawn Michaels' reaction when he wanted to sign with AEW

Shawn Michaels is one of the most recognizable names in wrestling and has won multiple championships in WWE. The 56-year-old has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame on two separate occasions.

Recently, in light of Triple H's health conditions, the Heartbreak Kid has stepped in to manage the brand. For this reason, he was the one who Kyle O'Reilly approached when he decided to leave.

During the latest episode of The Sessions with Renee Paquette, the former NXT Tag Team Champion detailed Shawn Michaels' reaction to his desire to leave the brand.

"(...)Shawn had been super supportive and said, ‘You gotta go where your heart leads you,'" said O'Reilly. "And they understand that, and I think they could tell too. Like ‘As much as we want you here Kyle, we also want you to be successful. And Kyle O’Reilly as a character on NXT might not be super successful right now.’ And that’s cool. I’m happy to help guys grow but I was just not ready to be a glorified coach."

When discussing his decision to join AEW, O'Reilly praised the company's roster and referenced how his real-life friends and on-screen teammates had already signed there.

"I wanted to go where the getting was good and AEW definitely has a lot of guys that I’d really love to work with," O'Reilly continued. "My tag partner [Bobby Fish] is in AEW, for one! And Adam Cole, my best friend, as well." (19:20)

Shawn Michaels feels that the some of NXT's top stars inspired him to return to wrestling

During an interview with Denise Salcedo, Shawn Michaels shared his thoughts on how some of NXT's top stars have left the brand throughout his time there. He described how the passion he saw in performers like Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano inspired him to return to the wrestling business.

“We still keep in contact, but it is bittersweet, those young men were a big part of my life, they were a lot of the reason that I sort of got back into this line of work,” Michaels said. "“I was happily retired. When it came to Johnny, Tommaso, Adam, the Revival Boys, Shawn Spears; their passion, their excitement, their desire to be better was just hard not to love. They are the reason that I came back." (H/T: Wrestling Inc.)

While fans debate and speculate about wrestlers leaving promotions, we often forget the relationships they share. Though O'Reilly now works for AEW, it's fair to say he'll never forget the impact Shawn Michaels had on his career.

Please credit The Sessions and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.