Kevin Kiley will compete in his first singles match in over six years at NWA Nuff Said, and he recently discussed how the match came about.
Kiley had a lengthy run as Alex Riley in WWE; he was memorably The Miz’s protégé during The Miz’s first world title run. WWE released Kiley in 2016, and he didn’t wrestle wrestle again until he teamed u with NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Tyrus at Create A Pro’s holiday toy drive event on December 8, 2022. Kiley will be in action at NWA Nuff Said on February 11; he will face EC3 in a singles bout.
In an interview with Scott Mitchell of PWMania.com, Kiley shared his thoughts on his journey back to the ring. He noted that, during his time away, he had to focus on his family, but he eventually reconnected with Tyrus, and that process led to his eventual return to the business.
“It was something I always wanted to do,” Kiley said. “I was always trying to come back at some point. COVID really screwed a lot up, that was a space in time where I really had to focus on my family. Tyrus and I have always been pretty good friends,” says Kiley. “He did a podcast and asked me to be on it, and we started reconnecting again that way. Trevor Murdoch was there, Aron Stevens, EC3, and I kind of found a little bit of a family again.”
“It was the logical next step for me to re-integrate into the business, and just re-integrate into the world again. With EC3, he’s a really intelligent guy. By looking at his work, what he talks about and speaks about, it’s a deep message. Control Your Narrative.”
Kiley continued by highlighting EC3’s message about controlling your narrative. He then stated that he was impressed with EC3’s work, and he expressed his belief that they’re somewhat on the same wavelength.
“Be in control of your life. Be in control of your story,” says Kiley. “We all are stories at the end of the day, and sometimes if we’re not careful, we become the stories the world tries to tell us to be, but we’re not. We tell the stories that we tell ourselves that we are with positive thoughts and positive thinking.”
“Now, if you’re out there to control my narrative, that’s another issue. That’s just not going to happen. I’m going to control my own narrative, and he will control his. When I saw his work, I was really impressed with it. This is a great opportunity for me to step back into the business with someone that I’m kind of on the same wavelength with.”
When asked to describe what’s next for him, Kiley admitted that he wasn’t sure, as he’s focusing on the pay-per-view on Saturday for now.
“I don’t know,” Kiley said. “This is my first televised match in six and a half years. I’m going to go out there and just do the best I can with these guys.”
Check out the card for NWA Nuff Said here. WrestleZone will have coverage of the show as it airs on February 11.
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