AEW star Adam Cole says he’d like to step back inside a New Japan Pro Wrestling ring.

Cole is one of the newest members of the AEW roster. He has already proven to be a massive signing for the promotion. He has been getting massive crowd reactions and certainly doesn’t appear to be overshadowed by Bryan Danielson as some had feared.

With the “Forbidden Door” being cracked wide open, it has led to cross-promotion between the likes of AEW and NJPW. Adam Cole told Renee Paquette on Oral Sessions that he’s hoping to take full advantage.

“New Japan is something I’d like to do more of. I had done a fair amount of tours, it was almost 10. I got to wrestle at Koruakan Hall and the Tokyo Dome and Sumo Hall and all these really cool venues. I enjoyed my time there and right as I was kind of find my footing there or gain momentum, that was when I left. The chance to go back there would be really cool. I think back so fondly of my time in ROH. PWG, I had some of the times of my life there. I got my start in CZW, which is where I met Jon. There’s a bunch of really cool things that I would like to do. Independent wrestling is a blast.”

As Cole mentioned, he made some appearances for NJPW when he was a member of Bullet Club. Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks turned on Cole during an ROH show after Cole made the decision to sign with WWE back in 2017.

A lot has changed since Cole was last with the Super Kliq. Bullet Club split apart from The Elite. Also, all of The Elite members ended up signing with AEW and haven’t been seen in NJPW since early 2019.

During an interview with Asbury Park Press, Cole teased a rivalry with Bullet Club.

Adam Cole has recalled speaking to Triple H and Shawn Michaels just before making his WWE departure.

Triple H and HBK were two of Cole’s wrestling heroes. When he joined NXT back in 2017, he was elated to find out that his two heroes ended up becoming big fans of his. They were also mentors to the former ROH and NXT Champion. While Cole said that jumping ship to AEW was an easy decision, it was difficult to say goodbye to his two biggest supporters.

Speaking to Renee Paquette on the Oral Sessions podcast, Cole opened up about Triple H and Shawn Michaels being supportive of his decision to leave for AEW.

“He (Hunter) understood that I wanted to continue doing stuff like that, he knew my Twitch was super important to me. And I know that’s a big no-no in WWE, which is unfortunate. So I was very open and very honest with him, to the point where I was still thinking about what I was going to do when my contract was up. He knew that. And then when the decision was made, he knew that and Shawn knew that. So I’ve always been open and honest with them right out of the gate, because they’ve always been open and honest with me.”

Cole went on to say that HHH and HBK both hoped that something could be worked out to have him stay with WWE. With that said, both “The Game” and Michaels told Cole that they wanted him to be happy.

Adam Cole has been a major player on AEW TV already. He has realigned with The Elite. He recently teamed with The Young Bucks to take on Christian Cage and Jurassic Express. Cole and The Young Bucks picked up the win.

The newest AEW star Adam Cole recently joined Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette podcast. The former NXT champion talked about things such as finally being in the same company as his girlfriend Britt Baker and more.

After the recent big signings, AEW seems to be in line to acquire another major talent in Kevin Owens once his contract expires earlier next year.

Discussing the possibility of Owens joining the promotion as well, Cole said that he wants KO to do what makes him happy. Though he also admitted that he loves the idea of a potential reunion for their Mt Rushmore faction from PWG:

“I mean this because I’m friends with Kevin. I want Kevin to do what makes him happiest, I really mean it; I mean it in my soul. However, of course I would love the idea of him joining me, and the Young Bucks, and everyone else here.

That would be incredible. However, I do want Kevin to be happy.” said Adam Cole, “So there’s no part of me that would be angry or upset with whatever his decision is.”

The current WWE contract of Kevin Owens is set to expire on January 31, 2022. The former NXT champion has already teased moving to AEW once his current deal ends.

Apart from this, Adam Cole also talked about his friends in WWE and revealed what was the hardest part about leaving the company. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

Former NXT Champion Adam Cole has revealed that WWE did indeed pitch a name change.

Cole was a top star on the NXT brand and had been since he first arrived in WWE back in 2017. Cole signed a brief contract extension after his deal was up in order to give Kyle O’Reilly the final win in their feud. Cole did speak to WWE chairman Vince McMahon but he ultimately decided to sign with AEW.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that WWE pitched Cole becoming a manager for Keith Lee. On top of that, it was said that Cole would’ve likely had to change his name.

During an appearance on Talk Is Jericho, Adam Cole confirmed that WWE did suggest a name change.

“It was funny because apparently, there were a lot of ideas, but they were very vague on what exactly they wanted to do. This is interesting too because I remember when I first had the conversation, they had mentioned something about ‘maybe we’ll do a name change or maybe we’ll change your look a little bit.’ So that scared me a little bit just because I’d spent nearly 14 years as Adam Cole, and then our latest conversation, they were definitely more open to me being me and being myself and stuff like that. They could tell I was not too thrilled about the idea.”

It’s clear that Cole in his current form is well-liked by wrestling fans. He has been receiving sizable ovations since arriving in AEW. Whether or not he would’ve thrived on the WWE main roster is one of those “what if” questions, but some will be glad to not know the answer.

While everyone believed for a long time that Adam Cole’s next destination will be AEW, the wrestling star himself took a good while before making the decision. The former WWE star recently appeared on the Oral Sessions podcast of Renee Paquette. He talked about a number of things including his time in the company and more.

Discussing his call to make the jump from WWE to AEW, Cole revealed that he was making his peace with the decision even a couple of days before his AEW debut:

“I’ll never forget it, but it was a couple days before All Out, where I was still kind of making my decision. It had gotten to a point where we were getting press close. Don’t get me wrong, I was pretty sure from the gate that AEW was where I wanted to go. But it was still not an easy decision to make. 9 year old me fell in love with pro wrestling because of WWE, so it was a ‘oh, what do I do?’”

• Adam Cole Says CM Punk Is The Biggest Dream Match For Him

Adam Cole Reveals Which Was The Hardest Part About Leaving WWE

Adam Cole also discussed how he will miss interacting with various people in the WWE locker room. He claimed that not being able to be part of DaParty on UpUpDownDown was probably the hardest part about leaving WWE:

“Very hard. That was probably the hardest part of the decision I think, I really formed a close bond with Woods and Swiss (Cesaro) and Breeze over the pandemic.

DaParty is a video series on the UpUpDownDown YouTube channel that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. It saw the team of Adam Cole, Xavier Woods, Tyler Breeze, and Cesaro playing various games together.

Later in the interview, Adam Cole revealed that the four have a group chat and they talk to each other every day. He said that it makes him feel like he hasn’t lost that connection but he still misses being part of their videos.

It probably won’t come as a surprise to many but Adam Cole says NXT had plenty of interest in Britt Baker.

Baker is the reigning AEW Women’s World Champion. She captured the gold back in May, ending Hikaru Shida’s 372-day reign. She’s fresh off a successful title defense against Ruby Soho on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Dynamite in New York City.

Cole, the real-life boyfriend of Baker, says that the higher-ups on WWE’s NXT brand have had their eyes on the AEW Women’s World Champion. Here’s what he told Renee Paquette on Oral Sessions.

“I know for sure that NXT was interested in saying, ‘Hey, if Britt is available please let us know,’ and I know AEW was interested in me as well. It was an interesting back and forth of ‘it’d be cool if you came here’ or ‘it’d be cool if I came there,’ but we were both under contract. Not much we could do, but we did fantasize about those things.”

Baker did work as an enhancement talent for WWE in the past. She was squashed against the likes of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Her stock has never been higher under the AEW banner.

Cole was once under the NXT brand. During his time on NXT, Cole put together some of the best matches in the brand’s history. Once his contract with WWE was up, many felt that if Cole were to stay with the promotion he’d have to be elevated to the main roster. He ended up signing with AEW.

Now that Adam Cole is in AEW, he is really excited to face some of the names on the roster including none other than CM Punk. The former NXT champion recently had an interview with News 12. During the talk he discussed the different wrestling personalities who have been on his list of dream opponents. He first mentioned how he has been able to check off some of these names:

“Very fortunate to check off a lot of those guys off the list in the sense of getting to have Shawn Michaels as my mentor, someone who I still have a great relationship with, is a dream come true. Getting the chance to step in the ring with Christian is gonna be really really cool. He has been running his mouth a bit too much so I am gonna make sure I fix that but aside from that if I look at it like 9 year old me, it’s pretty cool.”

• Britt Baker On CM Punk Mentioning Her Name During His Debut Promo

Later in the interview, Cole mentioned another potential future opponent for him in CM Punk. He first discussed how having Punk on the AEW roster is really cool. Adam Cole then went on to explain how the former WWE champion influenced his wrestling persona during his early years:

“I think the biggest one for sure is CM Punk. The fact that he is here is really cool. I have been very open just on my personal Mt. Rushmore of who means the most to me within wrestling, CM Punk is on that list for me. He is the guy who made me decide I really wanna focus on promos. I wanna make sure I get good interviews and stuff like that because he was so captivating. He is the guy who introduced me to companies like Ring Of Honor and the independent wrestling scene.”

Please credit SEScoops.com if using any quotes transcribed from this article.

Adam Cole has responded to his girlfriend, Britt Baker, hugging Tony Schiavone on AEW Rampage.

Throughout Baker’s heel run, her friendship with Schiavone has played out on television. It’s an interesting dynamic as Schiavone is a face commentator. It’s also led to some funny segments but Cole isn’t exactly laughing.

Cole took to his Twitter account to give his reaction to Baker hugging Schiavone and he was at a loss for words.

Britt followed up by asking Cole what the problem is.

“I don’t get it?”

Cole once again didn’t have any words in his response.

Cole confronted Schiavone on the Sept. 8 edition of Dynamite. He made it clear that he feels Schiavone has been getting too cozy with Britt.

“I know that you’re close with Britt Baker and I swear to God if you even look at her the wrong way, I will slap those stupid glasses off your face and whoop your ass. Do you understand me? Now, get out of our ring now, you nerd.”

Schiavone recently explained why he stood in the ring for as long as he did during the segment with Cole. During a recent edition of his What Happened When podcast, Schiavone said he had to remind Cole to deliver the “nerd” line.

Keeping anything secret in today’s digital world is almost impossible and that’s why AEW president Tony Khan had to take extreme measures to make sure Adam Cole and Daniel Bryan’s All Out debut didn’t get spoiled.

As the former NXT champion detailed during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, he had to fly to a different city a day before the show to make sure no one spotted him at the airport. He then stayed at a different hotel than Bryan:

“I didn’t even fly into Chicago [the site of All Out], I flew into a different city the day before,” recalled Adam Cole, “I didn’t even stay in the same hotel as Bryan”

“The Most Secretive Debut”

The former WWE star then remembered how they both showed up at the Now Arena after the show had already begun and waited outside in the trailer until the time for their debut had come:

“We showed up to the building while the show was going on,” said Cole, “And we waited outside in a trailer.

The locker room didn’t even know until the absolute last moment. It was the most secretive debut I’ve ever been involved in, and Tony Khan took every measure to make this as big of a surprise as possible.”

Adam Cole and Daniel Bryan made their debut after the main event between AEW champion Kenny Omega and Christian at All Out. While Cole aligned himself with the Elite, Bryan chose to oppose them.

Adam Cole made his in-ring debut for AEW last night on Dynamite. He defeated “The Elite Hunter” Frankie Kazarian in the night’s opening contest. Before the show, Cole spoke to TV Insider. During the discussion, Cole was asked about recent reports that WWE wanted to turn him into something of a manager and pair him with Keith Lee.

According to Cole, nobody from WWE pitched the manager idea to him directly.

“I personally have never heard anything regarding that,” Cole said when asked about WWE wanting to turn him into a manager. “I touched base a little bit on how my meeting with Vince McMahon went really well. We talked for about 30 minutes. He had a lot of complimentary things to say. As far as hearing that specific thing, that was not something I heard about. My four years with NXT was fantastic. My four years with WWE was awesome, but at the end of the day, I wanted to end up with AEW. Now that I’m here, I’m stoked.”

Adam Cole On His Time In NXT

Cole was also asked about the 4 years he spent in NXT from 2017 to 2021. During that time, he held the NXT Championship for a record 396 day reign. He was also the inaugural NXT North American Champion. His feud with Johnny Gargano in 2019 was voted the “Feud of the Year” by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter as well.

“I’ve been so open with how much of a relationship I formed with Shawn Michaels. He is an idol of mine. A guy I look at as the greatest professional wrestler of all-time. To have the chance to work under him was really cool. Triple H as well treated me with nothing but respect and is someone I learned so much from,” Cole continued.

Next week at Rampage Grand Slam, Adam Cole will team with the Young Bucks to take on Christian Cage, Jungle Boy, and Luchasaurus. Cole issued a challenge for the match following his victory over Kazarian on Dynamite this week.

Adam Cole will face Frankie Kazarian in his first AEW match on Wednesday. Dynamite will take place from the Prudential Center in New Jersey this week. Cole spoke with the Asbury Park Press about the show.

“It’s so incredibly awesome that I’m getting to make my in-ring debut with AEW in that area,” Cole said. “To me, those fans have been some of the most passionate, some of the most excited, and some of the most dedicated that I have ever seen. The fact that I kind of cut my teeth in the Northeast area is something that those fans hold near and dear to them, and it’s something that I hold near and dear to me, too.”

Cole also teased a faction war between the Elite and Bullet Club could becoming to AEW soon. This has been teased in both Impact Wrestling and at the NJPW Resurgence PPV earlier this summer as well.

“I think there’s been tension with the Bullet Club over in Japan and the Elite here in AEW,” Cole said. “The history kind of speaks for itself, seeing the tension between the two teams and the two groups. So, ‘unfinished business’ I think would be an understatement. I think it’s very possible that at some point, me and the Elite are going to have to take care of some business.”

Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Karl Anderson, and Doc Gallows were all members of Bullet Club before becoming members of the Elite. Cole joined the faction in May of 2016 but then left in 2017 when he was killed off on BTE. He won the ROH World Championship while a member of the faction as well.

Adam Cole On Wrestling’s “Forbidden Door”

Cole also spoke about his excitement about the Forbidden Door opportunities currently available in wrestling.

“I keep going back to imagining me as a fan,” Cole continued, “thinking that two promotions could collide and have the chance to have, say, Impact wrestlers come on AEW or New Japan Pro-Wrestling wrestlers come there and wrestle AEW stars — and that is just so exciting.”

Bullet Club vs The Elite

Over the summer, Bullet Club and members of the Elite have clashed on shows for both Impact and NJPW. On Impact Wrestling, Jay White arrived and inducted Chris Bey into Bullet Club. White got into a back and forth with Anderson and Gallows, however, as they requested White thank them for making Bullet Club the world-famous name that it is.

Anderson and Gallows were confronted by Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa at NJPW Resurgence, however. Anderson again said that the members of Bullet Club need to thank the Elite for putting the faction on the map but when the Guerrillas of Destiny came out to confront the team, Anderson and Gallows simply left the ring area.

New AEW signee Adam Cole made his debut with the company following the main event of the All Elite Wrestling All Out PPV event.

Cole appeared with a theme song that had elements of the Undisputed Era theme from NXT, however, AEW house musician Rukus would reveal that he did not take influence from the UE theme but instead Rage Against The Machine.

“I did not draw inspiration for Adam Coles new theme from the UE [Undisputed Era] theme,” Rukus wrote on social media. “I felt the Rage [Against the Machine] vibe really fit him. Calm Like A Bomb, but slower.

Rukus on Adam Cole AEW Theme

“He loved ‘Something For You,’ so I incorporated the drumbeat from the verses” Rukus continued. “The lyrical delivery was a combo of both of those songs.”

Rukus would also state that he was not trying to be derogatory when dismissing the Undisputed Era track as an influence. “I could have done a better job at wording this. This was not meant to be derogatory in any way shape or form.”

Adam Cole is set to have his first-ever AEW match this Wednesday at AEW Dynamite. The former leader of Undisputed Era will be taking on Frankie Kazarian, the man known in All Elite as the ‘Elite Hunter.’

Do you like Adam Cole’s new AEW theme? Let us know in the comments

While everyone expected Adam Cole to end up in AEW after his WWE contract expired, his new deal wasn’t made official until last minute according to latest reports.

According to reports from Fightful Select, the former NXT champion’s signing with Tony Khan’s promotion didn’t come as a surprise to people within WWE. Many within the company expected him to join the rival promotion.

The WWE officials were operating under the assumption that he was already as good as gone even before his contract expired. Though the people in the organization had nothing but positive things to say about the way Cole handled things on his way out.

The former NXT star had not told anyone in the Stamford-based corporation that he would be appearing at All Out. He was kept hidden before the PPV.

Another interesting tidbit is that Adam Cole’s AEW deal wasn’t made official until Sunday. Although people handling different aspects of his debut such as merchandise were informed about it ahead of time.

The former Undisputed Era leader made his surprise AEW debut at the All Out PPV on September 5. He first teased going against Kenny Omega and the others but has since turned heel and joined his friends of the Elite.

Adam Cole is All Elite and for him, it’s all come full-circle.

For many, Cole was the MVP of NXT. He had many memorable matches with the likes of Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Ricochet, and Kyle O’Reilly. While Cole was the top dog of WWE’s NXT brand, he never ended up having a run on the main roster.

That’s because Cole decided to make the jump to AEW once his WWE contract expired. Cole had signed a brief extension with WWE to finish his feud with O’Reilly and seemingly left the company on good terms.

Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Cole explained why his AEW debut was a “full-circle moment.”

“It felt like a full-circle moment in a lot of ways. I haven’t gotten to share the ring with the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega in really long time. I was feeling very sentimental. Before I was about to come out, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that my legs were physically shaking. It wasn’t even nerves. I was so excited for that moment and that’s why I’m going to try and relive it constantly in my head. I had such an amazing time. It was so cool and felt like all 13 and a half years led to that moment.”

The former NXT Champion had told reporters following All Out that signing with AEW was an easy decision. It had been reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE’s idea for Cole on the main roster was to pair him with Keith Lee. This wouldn’t have been a team, however, as he would’ve been a manager.

AEW head honcho Tony Khan says that Adam Cole joining AEW is a dream come true.

Cole made his AEW debut at the conclusion of the All Out PPV. Reports had been rolling out claiming that the former NXT Champion was on his way out of WWE. The reports were correct.

Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Tony Khan admitted that having Cole on the AEW roster is something he dreamt of.

“I’ve never felt better. I’ve never felt better about anything. This show was almost two years in the making really. There were things that happened on this show that have been talked about for so long. I always dreamed of the day that Adam Cole would come to AEW. I always believed that some day it would be possible, though I didn’t know it would be so soon. That’s a dream come true. He’s always been a talent we’ve had a close eye on and he’s been somebody I’ve been very fortunate to get a closer look at, because our Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker obviously lives with him. He’s somebody that I’ve know and kept an eye on.”

Adam Cole extended his contract with WWE in order to complete his feud with Kyle O’Reilly. Following All Out, Cole said that giving O’Reilly the win on his way out was important to him as the two are close friends.

Cole is set to make his in-ring debut for AEW on the Sept. 15 edition of Dynamite. He’ll be going one-on-one with Kazarian.

Adam Cole debuted for AEW at All Out on Sunday, aligning with members of the Elite. Cole reportedly met with Vince McMahon regarding a potential move to the main roster in the weeks leading to his departure. What WWE had planned for him on the main roster was recently addressed on Wrestling Observer Radio.

Evidently, WWE’s pitch to keep him in the company was to have him become a manager. “They were going to bring him up, the idea was to turn Keith Lee heel, have Adam Cole be his manager, probably with a different name because of the last name Cole and its main roster and Michael Cole, and you know how that goes,” said Dave Meltzer.

Meltzer then compared what they wanted from Adam Cole and Keith Lee to a Lio Rush/Bobby Lashley dynamic.

“That was kind of the dynamic they were looking for from him. More of a manager than a wrestler,” Meltzer continued. He would then say that these ideas were coming from either Vince McMahon or Bruce Prichard and not necessarily the creative team.

WWE’s Idea To Have Adam Cole Manage Keith Lee

Mick Foley recently commented on social media that WWE is no longer the place that wrestlers aspire to be. WWE’s pitch to have Adam Cole be more of a manager than a wrestler may illustrate some of Foley’s points.

“I think younger talent sees the way that developmental characters are cut or left by the wayside or in the case of Karion Kross, greatly watered down and even made a joke of when they debut on the main roster,” Foley said in the video. “

“I’m not sure that I would trust WWE creative to do the right thing with my career,” Foley continued. Perhaps Adam Cole began to feel the same.

AEW head honcho, Tony Khan, can now admit that Adam Cole had him worried when he was on WWE’s NXT brand.

Cole became the talk of the wrestling world when news broke that his WWE contract expired. Cole didn’t leave the company high and dry in the middle of a feud with Kyle O’Reilly. He ended up signing an extension in order to give O’Reilly the final victory in their rivalry.

It didn’t take long for Cole to sign on with AEW once his contract extension with WWE ended. He appeared at the end of the All Out PPV, realigning with The Elite.

At the height of the AEW vs. NXT “Wednesday Night War,” Cole was a key player. Speaking to the media following the All Out PPV, Khan explained why he feared going up against Cole when he was on NXT.

“I’d just like to say a statement, which is that, the Wednesday Night War is over and in the demo, I believe, out of 75 episodes, we went 74-1. [Adam Cole] is the one in 74-1. When there was a Wednesday Night War, this is the man that used to strike fear into my heart every Wednesday. This guy scared the sh*t out of me every Wednesday. There is nobody I would rather have here and it means the world that he came.”

It shouldn’t take long to find out exactly what’s in-store for Cole under the AEW banner. He has already gotten physical, taking part in a brawl that involved Bryan Danielson before All Out went off the air.

Adam Cole relished in his AEW debut but Britt Baker made things even more special.

Cole appeared at All Out following the main event world title match between Kenny Omega and Christian Cage. Cole initially appeared to make the save for Cage and Jurassic Express following a post-match beatdown. Instead, he delivered a kick to the jaw of Jungle Boy.

Cole’s reunion with The Elite was spoiled when Bryan Danielson also made his promotional debut. Bryan aligned himself with Cage and Jurassic Express to fight off The Elite.

During his post-show media scrum, Cole explained how his girlfriend, AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker, was able to make his AEW debut that much sweeter.

“I’m so excited for the future. Sunday was one of the greatest nights of my life. It was my favorite night of my career. It’s such an exciting time. I knew last minute, Britt (Baker) knew last minute, and Britt made sure she got Momma Chugs and B-Fresh [Adam Cole’s brother] there. It made it even cooler. Britt deserves a ton of credit for that. She surprised me, she didn’t even tell me she was going to do that.”

Adam Cole had plenty of options on the table once his WWE contract expired. Cole, himself, admitted that even he thought his deal would take longer to end before signing a brief extension to finish his feud on NXT with Kyle O’Reilly. Cole didn’t have a non-compete clause, so he was free to appear at All Out.

Adam Cole debuted for All Elite Wrestling last night at All Out 2021. Shortly after entering the ring following the night’s main event, Cole super kicked Jungle Boy and re-joined his former stablemates in the Elite.

Cole’s short stint as a free agent this summer garnered many headlines across pro-wrestling but according to the former NXT Champion, his decision to sign with AEW was “a fairly easy one.”

“When you think about where I was, that technically was my dream since I was 9 years old,” Cole said in the post-event press conference. “And then I’d seen everything that AEW was doing…I’d been here countless times to support Britt and hang out with the crew and it’s just the best group.”

“At the same time, I’d really built a reputation for myself there as well but I knew in my heart pretty early on that I wanted to come here and it’s no knock whatsoever on them. I had a very excellent 4 year experience but I wanted to come back and work with a crew that I love being around 24/7, a crew that is just as passionate about pro wrestling as I am and fans that feel the exact same way as we do. So, making the decision was a fairly easy one.”

Cole’s comments can be heard in the below Tweet:

Adam Cole, himself, was surprised when he learned that his WWE contract expired.

Cole had been regarded by many as the MVP of NXT. He found plenty of success on the brand, holding the NXT Championship for over a year. While Cole had plenty of standout performances during his time with WWE, there was a big clerical error.

Soon, Cole found out his WWE contract expired and even top WWE officials weren’t immediately aware of it. Speaking to reporters following the All Out PPV, Cole admitted that he didn’t even know.

“Yeah so, funny enough, believe it or not, I was also surprised. Yeah, I was under the impression that it was like six months later. So it was a surprise to me. It was a surprise to them. It was public knowledge for a lot of people that I had signed a little extension, I was in the middle of a really serious angle with Kyle O’Reilly, which was very important to me. He’s one of my best friends in the entire world. Then after that is when stuff kind of opened up for me, but very surprising to me. It was just as surprising to me.”

Adam Cole signed a brief extension with WWE to finish his feud with Kyle O’Reilly. Once the extension was over, Cole became a free agent. On Sept. 5, he made his debut for AEW on the All Out PPV. Cole aligned himself with The Elite before being cleared out of the ring by Bryan Danielson, who also made his AEW debut.

CM Punk has given his reaction to the AEW signings of Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole.

Danielson and Cole made their AEW debuts on Sept. 5 at the end of the All Out PPV. Cole was the first to make his surprise entrance, joining The Elite in their beatdown of Christian Cage and Jurassic Express. Danielson then evened the odds by fighting alongside the faces.

Speaking to reporters following the All Out PPV, Punk discussed the promotional debuts of Danielson and Cole.

“I mean, you know, pardon my lewdness, but I got a boner for that. Honestly, like, you know, I feel everybody has their own journey and their own story and their own experiences of where we used to work. You know, but I heard him say. I left and I don’t got a lot of good things to say, he left [Bryan] and he says he loved the place. But what does it mean when you love that place but you still don’t want to be there. You want to be here. I think that speaks volumes.

“Adam Cole is a guy that I’ve never wrestled and I know I’m going to sometime. I look forward to it. Daniel Bryan is a guy I have wrestled and I feel like that’ll happen somewhere down the line too. It’s like at Christmas. You know, I unwrap a gift, I don’t know what’s in it. It could be Adam Cole, could be Daniel Bryan, could be Kenny Omega, could be the Young Bucks, could be Will Hobbs, could be Ricky Starks. I mean it’s just endless, I am so happy right now.”

CM Punk was also featured on the All Out card. He had his first match in seven years, taking on Darby Allin. Punk scored the three-count after he hit the GTS.

Bryan Danielson, also known as Daniel Bryan from his time in WWE, and Adam Cole are now All Elite! 

It happened after the AEW All Out pay-per-view event headliner where Kenny Omega beat Christian Cage to retain the World Title. Post-match, Omega and The Elite beat down Cage and Lucha Express.

Cole super kicked Jungle Boy and hugged The Elite. Cole said The Elite is the most dominant faction in the business and there’s no chance in hell that anyone is going to stop them. This led to Danielson coming out to stand with the babyfaces. A brawl broke out with the babyfaces standing tall to end the show. 

Danielson was originally going to debut at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam in New York City on September 23rd. However, there had been a growing concern about the spread of COVID-19. A mask mandate was issued for fans at this upcoming event in addition to fans needing to show proof of vaccination.

Danielson finished up his WWE commitments when he was banished from SmackDown earlier this year. In July, it was reported the former WWE star had indeed signed with All Elite Wrestling. 

Cole became a free agent at the end of August after his short-term extension with WWE expired. He was last seen when he lost to Kyle O’Reilly at NXT TakeOver 36. Cole opted not to sign a new deal. All Elite Wrestling appeared to be his likely landing spot. That turned out to be the case.

Adam Cole is now on the free-agent market after he let his WWE contract expire and is still exploring his options. 

Cole’s original deal expired back in July but agreed to a short-term extension that would last through August 31st as a way for him to finish up his storyline with Kyle O’Reilly. 

Fightful Select reported today that Cole had made it clear well ahead of his contract even coming up in July that he was not willing to give up his Twitch account. 

This is something that WWE has asked several wrestlers to do and some of them did just that. However, for Cole, it was said to be “non-negotiable.” The report stated that higher-ups weren’t excited to talk to him about it in general, because they didn’t have much leverage on the situation. 

When Cole’s deal expired, it was reported that WWE was trying to re-sign him. Not only is All Elite Wrestling an option for him, but it appears to be the most likely place that he’ll end up as he has friends working for the promotion, and his girlfriend, Britt Baker, is currently the Women’s Champion. 

It’s also possible for him to join other promotions such as NJPW, ROH, and Impact Wrestling, although AEW does have working relationships with NJPW and Impact so if he wanted to work some matches for those promotions, it could be arranged.

Adam Cole is a free agent. His WWE contract is believed to have expired on Friday and it is not clear where he will end up next. While some expect Cole to sign with AEW, there are others hoping a chance still remains he re-signs with WWE.

One darkhorse contender to sign Adam Cole to a contract appears to be Pat McAfee, however. The Smackdown commentator sent out a Tweet recently to offer Cole a “legitimate contract” to work on the Pat McAfee Show.

What is the latest on Adam Cole?

According to a report from PW Insider, a memo was sent out to some WWE employees recently letting them know that Adam Cole is no longer with the company. He is expected to field offers from other promotions. It was also noted that he could still re-sign with WWE. Previous reports have suggested that Cole is likely done with the company, however.

According to a report from Talk Sport, Cole does not have a 90-day no-compete clause that he would have to wait out before debuting in another company.

“As part of the extension, Cole also managed to ‘kill the non-compete clause’ he would have had to fulfill,” wrote Alex McCarthy earlier this month.

Adam Cole has been one of the major talking points amongst pro wrestling fans over the past few weeks.

It was recently revealed that Cole had not signed a new deal with WWE. His original contract had actually come due around the NXT Great American Bash event earlier this year.

Cole apparently signed an extension with WWE, keeping him with the NXT brand for a further month just beyond WWE SummerSlam 2021 weekend. Cole’s contract extension runs through today, according to Fightful.

Cole has since removed the link to his WWE Shop page from his Twitter bio. He has also cancelled the Twitch stream that he had planned for tonight.

“Hey Chugs Army….I’m very sorry but something has come up today and I won’t be able to stream today [frown emoji]” Adam Cole wrote to fans. “I really really wish that I could. But I will keep you all posted on when the stream will be Saturday! Love you Chugs Army and thanks for understanding as always [folded hands emoji].”

Adam Cole Leaving WWE?

With Cole becoming a free agent, he is free to go wherever he chooses. Most WWE talent contracts include a non-compete clause on the back end. Cole’s extension had no such clause.

With that in mind, WWE could cause a stir by having Cole appear on SmackDown and elevate him right from the word go.

WWE has come under flak from fans for their supposed ‘no indie stars’ mentality going forward for developmental. Cole making a huge debut on SmackDown would offset some of that blowback.

There’s also the fact that FOX is not happy with CM Punk making his debut for All Elite Wrestling. WWE may still be looking to help that relationship and bring another ROH alumnus to the show.