Top AEW star reveals why he left WWE despite having a "wonderful experience" with Triple H
A number of current AEW stars have been part of WWE previously. Triple H worked with a majority of them during his time as the head booker of NXT, with one of them being Adam Cole.
The Panama City Playboy joined WWE in 2017, debuting at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III alongside Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly. The Undisputed Era attacked then NXT Champion Drew McIntyre. Over the course of the next four years, Adam Cole won everything there was to win in the former black-and-gold brand, becoming the second-ever NXT Triple Crown Champion in the process.
Adam Cole really buried Karrion Kross here 😭😭😭
Bro hasn’t been the same since 😭😭😭 https://t.co/G1jZMFB9tV
In 2021 his WWE contract expired, and Adam Cole debuted for AEW at the All Out pay-per-view. In a recent interview with Wrestling Observer Radio, the former NXT Champion opened up on why he chose to leave WWE in favor of AEW.
“I had a wonderful experience working in NXT with Triple H and Shawn Micheals,” Cole said. “I learned so much from them and it was an absolute joy to be there. All the coaches, everyone. I learned a lot being there and grew as a performer. And then looking at AEW, once again, Britt being there was a huge factor, my friends being there was a huge factor, the audience being so rabid and so wild. Every single week looked so exciting and [it was] something I wanted to be involved in.” (H/T itrwrestling)
Tony Khan explained Adam Cole's delayed AEW return
Adam Cole's return is objectively one of the best things AEW has produced. #AEWRampage
Adam Cole suffered a serious concussion at the Forbidden Door 2022 pay-per-view. This ruled him out of action for a long time. He returned to TV very recently on Dynamite.
In a recent interview, Tony Khan explained what caused the delay.
"It's a very important concern. When Adam Cole was injured, we absolutely wanted to take as much time and evaluate what we could do for him, how we could treat him, and do whatever we could to put his health first before we even considered any possibility that he was going to return to the ring. It's only now that he's made this kind of progress in his brain therapy and his recovery to where we believe Adam Cole is ready to return to the ring. I'm very excited about that and it's great to have him come back to AEW Dynamite." (H/T: Fightful)
Adam Cole received a thunderous reception upon his return. He is undoubtedly a highly popular star, and it remains to be seen what's next for him.