Concerns continue to grow regarding Adam Cole’s in-ring future, with new insight suggesting the former TNT Champion in AEW may be facing a far more serious road back than initially believed.
During a recent appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show”, AEW President Tony Khan reiterated that Cole will always have a place in the company, even if a return to competition isn’t possible.
That discussion was expanded on during Wrestling Observer Live at F4WOnline.com, where Bryan Alvarez weighed in on Khan’s comments and offered a sobering update on Cole’s condition.
“It’s not great,” Alvarez stated of Cole’s status. “He’s still having a lot of problems. And as you can hear from the interview (Khan on Helwani), he’s still not flying, which is bad.”
According to Alvarez, the situation was dire enough that Cole even contemplated calling it a career right after his injury.
“The day that it happened, Adam Cole was considering going out and just retiring,” Alvarez continued. “And he was essentially talked out of it because you just never know but I think the feeling is that he may not ever wrestle again. And it’s a strong feeling in that direction.”
Alvarez also mentioned that Cole’s ongoing symptoms have raised legitimate fears that his career may already be effectively over, even if no official announcement has been made.
“He’s still dealing with a lot of different things,” he said. “All the best to him. I think what’s most important is his brain and his head. Wrestling is wrestling but my guess is he’s probably done even though it has not been made official. But we’ll wait and see.”
Adam Cole, 36, has been sidelined since suffering a concussion during the July 10 taping of AEW Collision, the go-home show for AEW All In: Texas. He had been slated to defend the TNT Championship against Kyle Fletcher, but Khan revealed the afternoon of the event that Cole was not medically cleared. Cole later addressed the audience in a show-closing promo, admitting he wasn’t in the right headspace to talk about retirement, a moment that now carries even more weight given the latest update.
