Adam Cole

Adam Cole made his AEW Dynamite debut Wednesday night on the heels of his surprise appearance at All Out on Sunday.

Near the end of the show, Tony Schiavone introduced The Elite, who walked down to the ring to drop a promo.

Nick Jackson then got on the mic and introduced Cole to the Cincinnati crowd.

Cole immediately set his sights on Schiavone and noted how he's close with his (real-life) girlfriend and AEW Women's World Champion, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. He threatened to beat Schiavone up before kicking him out of the ring.

Cole then called himself a "once-in-a-generation wrestler" and spoke highly of his fellow Elite members.

AEW World Champion Kenny Omega then got on the mic and talked about how he hated being rudely interrupted, which happened at AEW All Out.

It happened yet again on Dynamite by the same person, as Bryan Danielson came to the ring.

One thing led to another, and Danielson and his crew cleared The Elite out of the ring before Dynamite went to commercial.

Following reports that his WWE contract expired last month, Cole was thought to be a free agent with a strong chance of signing with All Elite Wrestling. In addition to his girlfriend being Baker, Cole is close friends with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.

Cole erased any doubt regarding his next destination at All Out when he arrived following the main event between Omega and Christian Cage for the AEW World Championship.

Omega and The Young Bucks beat down Christian and The Jurassic Express after The Belt Collector retained the title, and it initially looked as though Cole was going to make the save.

Instead, he aligned himself with Omega and the Bucks and called The Elite the best and most dominant stable in professional wrestling.

It was at that point that Bryan Danielson made his AEW debut, siding with Christian and Jurassic Express, and running off Cole and the rest of the heel faction.

In Cole, AEW has a performer who is still relatively young at just 32 years of age and who has the potential to be the face of the company in the coming years.

Although he never made it to the main roster in WWE save for a handful of appearances, he stands as arguably the greatest Superstar in the history of the NXT brand.

Cole led The Undisputed Era faction with Kyle O'Reilly, Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong by his side, and he became the first wrestler in NXT history to be a Triple Crown champion by holding the NXT, North American and tag team titles.

He is also the longest-reigning NXT champion of all time, having held the title for 403 days.

Cole has some company in terms of being the face of AEW right now in the form of Danielson, Omega, CM Punk and others, but given his promo skills, charisma and in-ring ability, he should be a big-time player for a long time to come.

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Punk Calls Danielson, Cole Debuts Bigger Than The Outsiders in WCW

AEW put on arguably the biggest show of its existence at All Out on Sunday, as CM Punk returned to the ring for the first time in more than seven years and both Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole made their debuts.

After Kenny Omega beat Christian Cage in the main event to retain the AEW World Championship, Cole made a surprise appearance to seemingly help Christian and Jurassic Express during a post-match beatdown by The Elite, but he rejoined The Elite instead.

Danielson then made his way down to the ring and helped Christian and Jurassic Express clean house to end the show.

According to Felix Upton of Ringside News, Punk told reporters following All Out:

"And as long as we keep [fans] engaged, and keep them happy, and to bring it back around, that's what we're doing. I'm not [Hulk] Hogan. I'm not [Randy] Savage. Daniel Bryan and Adam Cole, they're not The Outsiders. I see the parallels. This is totally different, and I'll go ahead and say it, and people can quote me and they'll be pissed off about it. To me, this is bigger."

Punk was referencing Scott Hall and Kevin Nash making the leap from WWE to WCW in 1996. Hogan turned heel shortly thereafter and formed the nWo with Hall and Nash, which started a huge run of success for WCW, as it beat WWE in the Monday night ratings war 83 weeks in a row.

AEW's weekly shows, Dynamite and Rampage, are still a long way from matching the ratings WWE gets for Raw and SmackDown, but there is no question that AEW has established itself as a power in professional wrestling.

It remains to be seen whether Danielson and Cole will have the same type of impact The Outsiders did for WCW, but if nothing else it proves that some of the best talent in wrestling wants to be part of AEW.

Punk Talks Possibly Teaming with Sting

After Punk beat Darby Allin near his hometown of Chicago in his first pro wrestling match in more than seven years at All Out, he had a nice moment with a legend of the pro wrestling business.

Sting has been by Allin's side since making his AEW debut late last year, and while helping his ally off the mat, he offered his hand to Punk, who accepted it and shook as a sign of respect to The Icon.

Unsurprisingly, that led to plenty of speculation among fans that there could be plans in place for Punk and Sting to work together in some capacity moving forward.

According to WrestlingInc.com's Jason Ounpraseuth, Punk discussed that while speaking to the media after All Out, saying:

"We were never in the same company at the same time. We're two different generation wrestlers, and you just never thought it was possible, and now, it is. And that's kind of how I feel about the entire groundswell of AEW as a whole. You got me, and Darby, and Sting in a ring, and it's legitimately three different generations and the knowledge of wealth he brings. It's a bucket list item now. I think, for sure, down the line, we're probably going to tag. That feels like there's something there.

"There's real, organic moments here. Him coming out and shaking my hand, we didn't talk about that. That wasn't a planned thing. He came out, and he did it, and before I shook his hand, I looked and was kind of like, this means something to a kid like me. And he said, 'It means something to me too,' and that's wild to me. That's the playground we have here where we could do all this stuff that you didn't think was ever possible."

Punk and Sting either teaming or wrestling against each other is something that has never been on anyone's radar in wrestling over the years, but now that they are working together, it feels like something fans would love to see.

AEW has picked its spots with how it has used Sting in-ring thus far, opting to use him solely as a tag team wrestler.

Allin has been his partner every time, but working Punk into the mix would freshen things up and give both men something fun and unexpected to take part in.

Teaming could also lead to a match between them at some point, and Punk would seemingly be the ideal opponent to guide Sting through a match and protect him in the process.

Regardless of where AEW goes with Punk and Sting, there is some real intrigue present and plenty of avenues worth exploring.

Punk Discusses WWE Not Understanding Him

Punk never truly fit the mold of the prototypical WWE Superstar during his time in the company, and Punk is taking what he learned from that and applying it to AEW.

Appearing on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette (h/t Upton), Punk noted that while he doesn't necessarily "get" Orange Cassidy's gimmick, he sees the value in him due to how popular he is.

Punk equated that to how he was viewed in WWE and noted that just because some people don't understand why a person or act is over, it doesn't mean they shouldn't be pushed as a top star:

"I'll use Orange Cassidy [as an example], who I think at dinner the other night ate my sea bass. So there's real heat there! But that's a thing that I look at and go, 'I don't get it.' But I listen to the people, and they react to him and they like him. So I'm like, 'f--k yeah.' Why would we throw that in the garbage?

"It just reminds me of when I showed up [in WWE] and those same people were like, 'I don't get it.' And I was like, 'Well, you're 65 and you're racist. I guess I'm super stoked that I'm not for you and you don't get it.' It's not for me to get. It's for the audience to get. And I think the culture for too long has generated this opinion that is just parroted by fans. And it's like, 'draw your own conclusions.' I don't like stuff because somebody else likes it. I like what I like. And if somebody else doesn't like it, that doesn't influence my opinion on that either way."

Despite Punk not feeling like he had the full support of the WWE higher-ups, he became a massive star, holding world titles on five different occasions, winning Money in the Bank twice and becoming one of the biggest post-Attitude Era stars in wrestling.

Still, Punk's experiences could help him guide other wrestlers in AEW who have dealt with similar things throughout their careers.

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Even Adam Cole was a bit that taken aback he could make his All Elite Wrestling debut Sunday at All Out.

During a media conference following the event, the former NXT champion told reporters he was "surprised" to see his WWE contract expire when it did:

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.

Cole lost to O'Reilly at NXT TakeOver: 36 on Aug. 22, which was his last match in NXT. Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp (via Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc) reported his WWE deal was due to run out soon after.

Because he fulfilled the terms of the deal, the 32-year-old didn't have to adhere to the kind of non-compete clause that can delay how quickly a former WWE wrestler resurfaces with another promotion.

Jon Moxley encountered a similar situation, which allowed him to debut at Double or Nothing in May 2019, a little more than a month after his final WWE bout.

There's only so much WWE could've done to re-sign Cole if he had made up his mind about leaving. Their failure to get him to commit to a long-term extension was certainly to AEW's benefit.

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Danielson Embraces 'Wrestling' with AEW Move

On a night full of big debuts, none was bigger at AEW's All Out pay-per-view than Bryan Danielson's arrival to close out the show.

Speaking to fans inside NOW Arena, Danielson echoed one theme of CM Punk's long-awaited comeback.

"I am a wrestler," he said, per Wrestling Inc's Sai Mohan. "I never left wrestling. I took wrestling everywhere I went. I said wrestling when I wasn't supposed to say wrestling. And now, I'm here to goddamn wrestle!"

During his promo on AEW Rampage after returning to the ring, Punk said how he "left professional wrestling" in 2005, which is when he signed with WWE. That comment referenced how WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has long viewed his product as "sports entertainment" rather than wrestling.

AEW appears to be establishing itself as a contrast to that.

Cole Explains Departure from WWE

Before Danielson made his way down the entrance ramp, it looked like Adam Cole was going to be AEW's most impactful addition Sunday night.

Cole said during a post-All Out media conference he "had a very excellent four-year experience" in WWE—competing almost exclusively in NXT. Despite that, the allure of signing with AEW was too good to pass up.

For years, wrestlers didn't have many alternatives to WWE in the United States if they grew a bit disenchanted or wanted a new challenge. No other promotion was a viable direct competitor, and competing on the independent scene brought its own challenges.

In terms of revenue, AEW still has a long way to go to catch up to WWE. The signings of Punk, Danielson, Cole and Ruby Soho show how it's quickly earning a reputation to be on par with WWE as an in-ring rival, though.

Foley: AEW Has 'No Shortage of Compelling Storylines'

Wrestling legend Mick Foley praised the work of AEW in building a strong stable of stars less than two full years after the launch of AEW Dynamite in October 2019.

There's no question the buzz surrounding AEW is enormous.

Maintaining that momentum is the company's next challenge because the initial excitement inevitably fades. As Foley alluded to, telling engaging stories and making Dynamite and Rampage must-watch television is what AEW needs to truly thrive.

It's equally important to use marquee stars such as Danielson and Punk to help shine a light on wrestlers who didn't build reputations in WWE. There are probably a lot of people who have discovered Darby Allin in large part because of his alliance with Sting and brief feud with Punk.

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It is understandable that fans would be swept up by the emotion and excitement of CM Punk's return to the squared circle after more than seven years away and Bryan Danielson's jump after a tumultuous run in WWE. However, Adam Cole, who debuted in All Elite Wrestling during the closing moments of Sunday's All Out pay-per-view, may well prove to be the most influential and significant signing of the three.

The former Ring of Honor and NXT champion arrived on the scene Sunday, blasting Jungle Boy with a superkick and joining his Elite brethren as the company strengthened the heel faction. It was an interesting twist considering the last time Cole shared the ring with the Bucks and Omega he was being unceremoniously booted from Bullet Club.

And therein, at least partially, lies the reason why Cole may prove to be the most important of AEW's recent signings.

Established Relationships

Cole's history with the core of AEW is rich. He was prominently featured on Being The Elite, was on-screen friends with the Bucks and Omega and was a key figure in the modern revolution of pro wrestling early on. He was a majorly popular member of Bullet Club when the faction's T-shirts were selling at Hot Topic and it was arguably the hottest act in the business.

He rose to prominence with the executive vice presidents of AEW, working alongside them in both New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring of Honor, and he helped the latter promotion become as buzzworthy as it had been since Punk, Danielson and Joe were tearing the house down in the early 2000s. 

Cole reuniting the band gives AEW a strong faction of heels for babyfaces to contend with. But on a grander stage, it also sets up a revenge storyline of sorts.

No matter the setting, Cole has always been portrayed as a cerebral competitor. He thrives on outsmarting and staying one step ahead of the competition. He may be a heel, as established by his reunion with his former Bullet Club teammates, but there will come a time when Tony Khan and the creative forces within AEW opt to position him against Omega and the Bucks.

When that happens, the promotion will have a ready-made story the likes of which Punk and Danielson cannot stake equal claims to.

That also pushes Cole past Punk and Danielson in the long term.

The Future

Punk and Danielson are attractions now. They are top stars who will move the needle and entice fans who may have been disenfranchised with the state of wrestling back to the shows and into the arenas. They are stars the company can hype shows around.

Cole's value is both now and later.

He's a major star in the wrestling industry, and his arrival in the company sent shock waves throughout the business. It was as recent as August that WWE was still negotiating with him on a contract, including a face-to-face meeting with Vince McMahon at SmackDown, according to Fightful Select.

All the way up to Sunday's pay-per-view, there were still rumors about his contractual status and whether WWE was still an option.

It wasn't.

Cole bet on himself to go somewhere where he can grow as a performer and have the creative freedom to do new and exciting things without worrying whether his size would derail any attempt at a genuine main event run.

He arrives in AEW ready to star immediately and, more importantly, in the coming years.

The 32-year-old will be at the top of the industry beyond the end of Omega's run as a full-time wrestler. He will be stealing shows and having Match of the Year candidates well past The Young Bucks' tag team dominance. In signing with AEW, he has ensured himself the opportunity to be the guy in a way he was never going to be allowed to be in WWE despite all of his success in its NXT brand.

And in return, AEW receives one of the best wrestlers in the world—someone who learned under Triple H and Shawn Michaels for four years—and a building block for its future pro wrestling supremacy. 

Adam Cole appeared at AEW All Out 2021 on Sunday, confirming his departure from WWE.

After Kenny Omega defeated Christian to retain the AEW World Championship, the crowd was sent into a frenzy as the former NXT star made his grand entrance:

Leading up to his match against Kyle O'Reilly at NXT TakeOver 36, reports surfaced that his WWE contract had expired and he was on a short-term extension in order to see his storyline with his former Undisputed Era teammate through.

Cole lost to KOR by submission, and it felt as though it was the end of his time with the black-and-gold brand regardless of whether he re-signed with WWE or joined All Elite Wrestling.

While it was initially thought that Cole's contract ended at the conclusion of that match, Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton) reported that his deal wasn't up until days later.

Fightful also reported that WWE was expected to make the 32-year-old one final offer before he officially became a free agent.

A report earlier in August from Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Joshua Gagnon) noted that Cole had met with Vince McMahon backstage at SmackDown. The WWE chairman reportedly took a liking to him and set the wheels in motion for creative plans to be put in place for him on the main roster.

Cole reportedly did not sign a new deal prior to NXT TakeOver 36, however, which increased speculation that he would jump ship to AEW.

Among the reasons for that is the fact that his girlfriend, Britt Baker, is the AEW women's champion. Cole is also longtime friends with AEW stars and executive vice presidents Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.

Omega further fueled speculation by posting a photo of Cole on Instagram, and The Young Bucks updated their Twitter bio with references to the former NXT champion.

The narrative changed a bit on August 25, though, when WWE intercontinental champion Shinsuke Nakamura posted a photo of a match between himself and Cole in Ring of Honor on his Instagram story. Cole later posted the photo on his story as well.

It was clear that both the WWE main roster and AEW would benefit from Cole, who was a three-time ROH world champion before becoming the longest-reigning NXT champion of all time.

Ultimately, though, AEW managed to lure him away, marking the latest in a long line of big-time additions for the company, including CM Punk.

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Adam Cole Reportedly a Free Agent

The status of Adam Cole has been a major talking point in the wrestling world for the past few weeks. 

According to PW Insider (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc), an internal memo sent out by WWE on Monday morning has confirmed that Cole is now a free agent after his contract expired. 

Cole last appeared on WWE television at NXT TakeOver 36 on Aug. 22. He lost a 2-out-of-3 Falls match to Kyle O'Reilly. The Panama City Playboy has been one of the featured Superstars in NXT since debuting on the brand in 2017. 

Earlier this month, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (h/t Joshua Gagnon of Wrestling Inc) reported Cole met with Vince McMahon and there had been talks about moving him up to the main roster if he re-signed with WWE. 

There have been rumors that Cole could end up in All Elite Wrestling if he decides to leave WWE. 

AEW does present a number of intriguing options for Cole. The company has tremendous buzz right now, with CM Punk debuting last week and speculation that Daniel Bryan could be showing up soon. 

Cole's girlfriend, Britt Baker, is the current AEW women's champion. She has been dropping hints on social media about his future. 

Wherever Cole ends up going, he's going to be one of the most popular wrestlers on that company's roster. He's a fantastic worker who has an innate ability to connect with crowds, whether it's as a heel or babyface. 

Update on Sasha Banks' Absence

One of the great mysteries in WWE for several weeks has been the absence of Sasha Banks. 

It appears there won't be any answers on her status in the near future. According to PW Insider (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), Banks is not expected back on the road with WWE this week. 

The report did note that WWE would like to have the Legit Boss back by the Sept. 10 show at Madison Square Garden, but it's unclear right now if that will happen. 

Banks hasn't been seen on television since the Aug. 13 episode of Friday Night SmackDown. Along with Carmella and Zelina Vega, she attacked Bianca Belair to set up their scheduled match at SummerSlam. 

There has been no reason given for Banks' absence from WWE. The ring announcer at an Aug. 14 house show in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Banks and Belair were scheduled to wrestle, told fans neither would be able to appear "due to unforeseen circumstances."  

Despite WWE continuing to advertise Banks on the Aug. 22 pay-per-view during the show, including airing a video package before the match, her bout with Belair wound up being changed. 

Becky Lynch made her long-awaited return in Banks' place, defeating Belair in 26 seconds to win the SmackDown women's championship. 

Banks had just returned to WWE on July 30 after losing the title to Belair in the main event on night one of WrestleMania 37. 

WWE Changing Keith Lee's Gimmick

As WWE continues to undergo significant roster changes, Keith Lee's character has been stuck in neutral since returning to television last month. 

Things could be changing for the 36-year-old, with Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newletter reporting (h/t Middleton) that WWE is using Lee in dark matches on Raw and SmackDown in an attempt to change his style and work on a new character. 

Paul Davis of WrestlingNews.co noted that McMahon has "considered turning (Lee) into a monster heel."

Lee has been a babyface throughout his time on the main roster. He recently returned to television after having a series of health issues earlier this year. The former NXT champion lost to WWE champion Bobby Lashley in his return bout and traded wins with Karrion Kross.

Since defeating Kross on the Aug. 2 episode of Raw, Lee has worked a series of dark matches against jobbers. 

On the one hand, Lee's size and presence would seem to make him a natural heel. On the other hand, though, WWE's roster is already loaded with top heels who would likely place Lee low on the totem pole if that's the direction the company takes his character. 

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WWE is reportedly working hard to keep Adam Cole in the fold amid rumors that his contract with the company expires Friday.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE Chairman Vince McMahon "definitely wants" to re-sign Cole.

Meltzer confirmed rumors that Cole's WWE contract is up Friday and added that Cole has yet to decide whether to re-sign with WWE or sign with AEW. If he leaves WWE, Cole will reportedly be free to appear for any company immediately since he doesn't have to adhere to a non-compete clause.

Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton) reported earlier this week that the expectation was WWE would make Cole a contract offer before the official expiration of his deal.

It was reported earlier this month by Fightful (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Joshua Gagnon) that McMahon had a backstage meeting with Cole at a recent episode of SmackDown. McMahon reportedly took a liking to Cole and had the creative team come up with ideas for Cole on the main roster.

Cole lost to Kyle O'Reilly at NXT TakeOver 36 on Sunday in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match, and it has been widely reported and speculated that it was his final NXT appearance regardless of whether he re-signs with WWE.

While remaining with WWE is possible, there is plenty of belief that Cole could go to AEW as well due to his ties to the company.

Cole's girlfriend, Britt Baker, is the reigning AEW Women's World champion. Also, he is friends with AEW Executive Vice Presidents Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, all of whom have teased the possibility of bringing Cole to AEW on social media.

Also, AEW has made some big personnel moves lately, including signing CM Punk. It is also expected that AEW is bringing in Daniel Bryan, whose WWE contract expired at the beginning of May.

Cole was the longest-reigning NXT champion of all time and one of the biggest stars in the history of the brand, and while he doesn't possess prototypical size, his charisma, promo ability and in-ring work could make him a top star on the main roster if WWE is able to convince him to stay.

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