AEW superstar Adam Cole recently joined the #Dork Podcast to discuss a variety of different subjects, including what advice Cole would give to younger talent and what his favorite pro-wrestling video games are. Highlights from the interview can be found below.
Chooses his favorite wrestling video games:
“Between [WrestleMania 2000] and No Mercy, and they’re two incredibly similar games as well. There is a part of me, and again, there are certain aspects – I do feel like No Mercy honed in on what made WrestleMania 2000 so special and kind of perfected it. That initial playtime with WrestleMania 2000 was so legendary that it’s like, ‘Maybe that one deserves all the credit.’ Then WCW vs. nWo [World Tour], that one was really good.
Said his early goal as a wrestler was to main event WrestleMania:
“Early on, I was obsessed. My first year or two, I was like, ‘My goal is to someday main event WrestleMania.’ It was like, again, not like there’s anything wrong with that, but it was so far from where I was that I realized early on that it’s better to set small goals for myself and enjoy the ride. I do love pro wrestling. So, again, the fact I tried at CZW and wrestled there, that was a really cool thing for me. It was important for me to go, ‘This is really cool. I’m in this Best of the Best tournament or in this Cage of Death show.’ Or getting to wrestle at Ring of Honor, or going to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, or wrestling in Japan. I have to enjoy these steps of where my eventual goal is, and then my goal kind of changed as time went on.”
Advice he would give to younger talent:
“After a year or two of understanding the different goals I had, my first goal was just to be able to make a living as a wrestler. I had a part-time job at a retirement home and taught kids’ swim lessons during the week, then I would wrestle on the weekends. That job was great because they were understanding of my schedule. Long story short, I tell young wrestlers this any time I do seminars or anything, it’s so important to set smaller goals for yourself and not hyper focus on this eventual big dream you have. So much of it is out of your control. You can only go in and have, ‘Hey, I’m gonna have the best match I possibly can and cut the best promo I possibly can’ and take that day by day and enjoy the process and the journey. The older I get, the more I’m understanding that.”
(H/T and transcribed by 411 Mania)