Adam Cole on hating comparisons to Finn Balor in NXT
Tonight on NXT Super Tuesday II, the vacant NXT Championship will be decided once and for all.
Last week's 60 minute Iron Man Fatal 4-Way match to determine the new NXT Champion ended in controversy, when Adam Cole and Finn Balor were level on decisions at the end of the time limit.
This led to NXT General Manager William Regal announcing that Cole and Balor will face off on Super Tuesday II to officially determine the next NXT Champion.
Both Cole and Balor have been synonymous on the yellow brand, as both Superstars have held the NXT Championship gold in the past.
During a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Cole discussed comparisons that NXT fans have made between himself and Balor. The leader of The Undisputed Era is the longest reigning NXT Champion in history, whereas Balor is a two-time champion. Cole admitted that comparisons between himself and Balor have driven him insane over the last week:
"100%. That's why this one is so important to me, because again, even as NXT Champion and having the 403-day reign as NXT Champion, I still constantly heard, 'Yeah, yeah, Adam Cole is a great champion, but he's probably number two of all time. Finn Balor is number one'," Cole said. "It drove me insane, because I'm like, 'I've doubled this guy's reign as far as the number of days, and I've done it in one reign.'"
Is Adam Cole the greatest NXT Champion in the brand's history?
Continuing to discuss his upcoming showdown with Finn Balor, Adam Cole discussed his multitude of achievements during his NXT career.
In addition to being the longest reigning NXT Champion in history, Cole is also the inaugural NXT North American Champion, a former NXT Tag Team Champion and a winner of The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. With these achievements in mind, Adam Cole stated that he is the greatest NXT Champion in history:
"There's no question that I'm the greatest Champion, so to be put in a situation where it's Adam Cole versus Finn Balor, I mean, finally putting that to rest, who is the greatest NXT Champion of all time, will be a beautiful day for me. Also, as far as wanting, I just came off of losing the championship, so that feeling of wanting to be champion is still so fresh in my mind. Finn Balor hasn't been NXT Champion for so long, so mentally he's moved on. He may think he wants it really bad, but he doesn't want it as bad as I do. I just lost the championship a couple of months ago. So in my opinion, without question, I want the championship more. Not only do I want it more, but I want to kind of close this chapter of my career in NXT saying that Adam Cole is better than Finn Balor, Adam Cole is a better NXT Champion than Finn Balor."
Who do you think will leave NXT tonight as the NXT Champion? Finn Balor or Adam Cole?