Adam Cole sends heartfelt message to Triple H

AEW star Adam Cole sent a heartfelt message on social media, thanking Triple H (Paul Levesque in real life) for his WWE NXT career. From 2017 to 2021, Cole was one of the top stars of the brand's black-and-gold era.

Last night, The Game announced his retirement from wrestling on ESPN's First Take with Stephen A. Smith. He revealed that he had a defibrillator in his chest following last year's heart surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Levesque has led the black-and-gold brand since its inception in 2010 and has sought to sign wrestlers from independent promotions such as Ring of Honor (ROH). He brought in Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, and Bobby Fish in 2017 to build on The Undisputed Era.

Cole had a fruitful career in NXT, becoming the second NXT Triple Crown Champion. He won the NXT title, North American Championship, and Tag Team Champion while being part of the Undisputed Era.

In a tweet, Cole paid his respects to the man who revolutionized NXT. He thanked Hunter for his contributions to his WWE career.

Check out the tweet below:

Thank you for everything. @TripleH https://t.co/6eqAEgeNdc

Adam Cole has massive respect for Triple H despite leaving NXT for AEW

When Adam Cole's WWE contract expired in 2021, he immediately signed with AEW. He had discussed the move with Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Shawn Michaels about the move.

@AdamColePro @TripleH That's hits different ❤ https://t.co/HzSFR7r7a1

In his appearance on Oral Sessions, The Panama City Playboy was firm about his reasons for going to Tony Khan's company. He added that he still had a lot of love for the two Hall of Famers despite the move.

"The nice thing about my relationship with him [Triple H] and my relationship with Shawn Michaels, they are so positive, like to this day positive. I had formed a bond with Hunter [and] with Shawn that I would like to think and they had made it very apparent to me as well that it's a relationship that we're always gonna keep cause I love working with those guys," Cole revealed.

Cole was undoubtedly one of Triple H's best recruits in NXT. With the latter's retirement, The Panama City Playboy will surely remember all the great lessons he learned from The King of Kings.

What are your favorite moments from Triple H's career? Drop off your comments below.