Should Adam Cole Leave WWE?

Despite the sheer wealth of talent that WWE have released over the past year and a half, there’s one particular NXT superstar that Vince McMahon seems adamant on keeping under contract, the former NXT Champion and leader of the Undisputed Era, Adam Cole.

Per WON, Vince McMahon is once again delving back into the mindset of ‘bigger equals better’ and that nobody under the height of 6ft should have a place in WWE. However, even though Cole doesn’t quite meet that specific criteria, he’s nevertheless become one of the hottest prospects from what remains of the NXT locker room.

Adam Cole’s contractual status with WWE has come under a lot of speculation as of late, with its expiry date looming once he wraps up his feud with former stablemate, Kyle O’Reilly. It’s likely this will somehow include something in the vein of a ‘Loser Leaves Town’ stipulation, where the loser (probably Cole) will then have to bid farewell to the black and gold brand.

Cole has been an instrumental part of building NXT’s fame and maintaining its momentum throughout the pandemic. His matches with the likes of Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle and Keith Lee have been nothing short of Match of the Year contenders, and will undoubtedly be remembered for years to come as some of the few instant classics from under the WWE umbrella.

That being said, since losing the NXT Championship to ‘Limitless’ Keith Lee last January, Cole hasn’t quite been hitting his stride outside of his bitter rivalry against Kyle O’Reilly. Yes, his status remains the same as one of NXT’s top stars, but there’s something missing from his performance. Perhaps it’s because there’s literally nothing else for Adam Cole to accomplish in NXT, having been both the main event and mid-card champion as well as a Tag champion when filling in for his UE buddies. Unless WWE suddenly decide that Adam Cole would be a great wrestler to kickstart the intergender movement, I don’t see him claiming much else for his trophy case.

So, why hasn’t Adam Cole been bumped up to the main roster yet? I suppose Triple H couldn’t quite let him go in the midst of the Wednesday Night Wars, which despite what backstage personnel might think, is now well and truly over after a swift defeat. Cole’s feud with O’Reilly has run its course, and as much as I’m looking forward to their final encounter, it’s time for both superstars to move on.

Unless everyone involved knows something that we don’t, should Cole decide to stick around in WWE, then he absolutely must make the transition onto either RAW or SmackDown. In the past, this has been a death sentence for some NXT headliners — just see Karrion Kross and his debacle of a debut from just under a month ago. However, if Vince is so intent on keeping Adam Cole over more McMahon-style wrestlers like Bronson Reed, then he must have something big planned for ‘The Panama City Playboy’.

Whether that be a Shawn Michaels-esque run in the mid-card, where over the course of a few years, Cole proves himself as a dab-hand in the ring and finally gets his chance to play with the big boys, or perhaps he manages to ride the wave of success he had in NXT through to a main event programme straight off the bat, there’s a lot that could go very right for Cole in his debut year.

Yet, the question remains: does Cole actually want to stay in WWE? With the uncertainty of NXT’s future still hanging in the balance and more and more budding superstars being washed away with the tide of future endeavours, is it even worth him considering the potential main roster run?

AEW has of course made successes out of a tonne of former WWE superstars, and with Adam Cole’s history with the Bullet Club plus the indie scene in general, there’s no doubt that he’d be able to instantly jump in to the already-stacked roster and make a name for himself once again. The issue with AEW remains the same though: is there simply too much talent for one roster?

Adam Cole might easily get lost amongst the plethora of major wrestlers who are now signed and trying to make it big: Christian Cage, Malakai Black, Jon Moxley and then potentially the debuting CM Punk and Bryan Danielson. There’s just too much traffic for any talented wrestler to come in and change the game.

Then again, this is Adam Cole, and if anything, he’s known for making headlines. There’s no doubt that he’d at least be treated with the respect he deserves on the AEW roster, and would be able to wrestle in the style that everyone loves to see from him, rather than a watered down version of himself that we’d likely see on the main roster.

The many avenues that would be open to Adam Cole upon his contract’s expiration would be enough to tantalise any creative individual, but maybe staying true to WWE could prove to be his biggest success to date? If WWE were smart, they’d do what they can to keep hold of him, out of everyone, because if anyone’s going to go the distance and prove the doubters wrong, it’s Adam Cole, BayBay!

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