After weeks of speculation regarding the future of professional wrestler Adam Cole as his WWE contract came to an end, the former leader of NXT’s Undisputed Era has officially arrived in All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Cole arrived at this year’s iteration of AEW’s All Out pay-per-view after a promo from AEW World Champion and leader of The Elite, Kenny Omega, who had just successfully defended his title against Christian Cage in the main event. Cole, a former member of the Bullet Club and The Elite, has now reunited with the latter group.
Cole wasn’t the only major free agent to debut in AEW after All Out‘s main event, however. His debut was immediately followed by that of the American Dragon himself, Bryan Danielson (formerly known as Daniel Bryan in WWE). Danielson made it clear that he opposes The Elite, instead siding with Cage and the Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus).
Cole (real name Austin Jenkins) had been a staple of WWE’s developmental brand, NXT, since first signing with the company back in 2017. His WWE contract reportedly expired back in July, though he apparently inked an extension that would keep him employed with the company through SummerSlam weekend and, by extension, NXT TakeOver 36.
It had long been reported that Cole would officially be done with NXT after his match against former Undisputed Era stable-mate Kyle O’Reilly at TakeOver 36 on Sunday, Aug. 22. However, it was unclear if that meant he would be joining WWE’s main roster or if he would be leaving for AEW, with the latter promotion reportedly offering him a contract.
That said, WWE reportedly made an effort to re-sign Cole, with the company’s tentative plans supposedly calling for him to make his main roster debut on either Raw or SmackDown. Cole even apparently met with WWE boss Vince McMahon directly. Nevertheless, Cole let his WWE contract expire and was reportedly a free agent as of Friday, Aug. 27. It’s also been reported that WWE recently sent an internal memo to its employees informing them that Cole was no longer part of the company.
Many fans had speculated that Cole would be jumping ship to AEW after his WWE contract ended, given his personal connection to several members of the company’s roster. As previously mentioned, Cole was once a member of the Bullet Club alongside the aforementioned Omega, as well as Omega’s fellow AEW execs Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson). Cole is also in a relationship with current AEW Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker, who would continually teased his impending AEW debut, including in her own title defense at All Out earlier in the night. During her match, Baker hit challenger Kris Statlander with a Pittsburgh Sunrise — her own version of Cole’s Panama Sunrise maneuver.
Source: Twitter
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