5 mistakes AEW has made with Adam Cole
AEW’s signing of Adam Cole was arguably one of the biggest acquisitions made by the company in 2021.
He was a top star and former champion in NXT. WWE clearly wanted to keep him and had plans to elevate him to the main roster. But Cole decided it was in his best interest to join Tony Khan’s promotion.
When Cole made his debut at All Out back in September and became a part of All Elite Wrestling, fans were excited to see him unleashed in a new environment and reunited with his Elite stablemates.
But since the initial excitement of his signing, Cole’s presentation has been questionable.
Wrestling legend Jim Cornette didn’t hold back in his criticism of Adam Cole’s booking as well, wondering if anyone in showbiz has ever fallen further than the former NXT Champion.
What have been the mitigating factors that have led to Cole’s perceived downfall?
Here we look at five mistakes the company has made with the wrestler so far.
#5. Adam Cole was overshadowed by Bryan Danielson on his AEW debut
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Adam Cole’s shocking appearance after All Out was nearly perfect. There was just one problem. It was immediately overshadowed by another debut by Bryan Danielson.
This was problematic as it made the former NXT Champion look like a lesser star than the American Dragon.
The company should have spread out their debuts so that Cole could have gotten his own shine. Given that it was such a historic event, perhaps Tony Khan wanted to pack in as many surprises as he could to send the fans home happy.
The reaction to Cole’s debut wasn’t top news on the night, and that might have stunted his momentum before it even began. So Cole wasn’t presented as big of a deal as he should have been.