Two weeks after performing his final match in WWE, Adam Cole made his unforgettable debut for AEW at Sunday's All Out pay-per-view.
Cole instantly turned heel by delivering a superkick to Jungle Boy. The latter, along with his Jurassic Express allies, came to rescue Christian Cage who was being attacked by Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and The Good Brothers. Moments later, Bryan Danielson also made his AEW Debut, coming to the aid of the babyfaces.
Cole's WWE contract expired last month, and he ultimately decided to leave the world's biggest wrestling promotion for a fresh start in AEW.
The 32-year-old cited Tony Khan, AEW's growth and the passionate fans as key reasons for his decision to sign with the company in a recent appearance on Busted Open Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com):
"There are so many factors and I can go on and on. You mention Tony Khan. Tony is such an incredible person. He has such a love and passion for pro wrestling that I’ve said before, but I’ll say again, is contagious. You can tell that he just eats, sleeps and breathes this stuff. And that’s great, especially when you’re the one leading the charge for a company like AEW. On top of that you’ve got a locker room full of guys who are ready to do anything and everything to deliver the best match, the best segment possible.
And then maybe most important, you have a bunch of rabid fans who so badly want AEW to succeed. And when you have a company that is going up to the plate and hitting a home run every single time, and then you have fans that are super satisfied and they want you to hit that home run, that’s that magical atmosphere that I talk about and so many other people talk about. I’ve watched AEW from the very beginning. And watching the product grow and watching it turn into the excellent pro wrestling company that it is, I don’t see how you couldn’t want to be a part of it."
WWE reportedly wanted to use Cole as a heel manager for Keith Lee on the main roster. Another recent report suggested that Cole gave WWE a non-negotiable request: To let him keep his Twitch channel active.
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Cole wrestled his final match for WWE at NXT TakeOver: 36 on Aug. 22. He faced longtime wrestling rival Kyle O'Reilly in a two-out-of-three-malls match, which was won by the latter. It was reported that Cole signed a short-term extension with WWE so that he could finish the program with O'Reilly.
Before Cole signed with AEW, WWE reportedly sent out an internal memo that he was no longer part of the company. After All Out, Cole admitted that he was surprised to learn that his contract was on the verge of expiring. Because he wasn't actually released by WWE, Cole didn't have to go under a non-compete clause, so he was able to appear in AEW right away.
Adam Cole's Arrival Changes Everything
Cole's arrival in AEW promises to change the competition between the company and WWE. CM Punk's debut, which took place 16 days before All Out, was already a significant game-changer to start with. In Cole, AEW has another main event-caliber star to build around over the long run. The sky's the limit.
