Adam Cole: Should he stay in WWE or go to AEW?

With NXT in the turmoil that it is most obviously in (WWE making it known that the direction of the brand is soon to change, and not for the better), many are wondering about the future of one of its biggest stars, Adam Cole. The question being specifically: Should he stay or go?

As the situation stands

Cole, whose contract has most recently expired, made the news, many questioning if he would be going elsewhere—specifically AEW—or if he would be staying within the company he has been with since 2017.

After comments made by pro wrestling journalist, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer and of course f4wonline.com, that Cole and Vince McMahon, were to have a meeting to hash out the points of a possible new contract or rather direction for Cole within the company moving forward.

The internet was abuzz with this piece of news alone, wondering what would come of the meeting and what would be destined for Cole, who still seems to be involved in a major NXT storyline with Kyle O’Reilly heading into NXT TakeOver36.

Well, Meltzer would answer that question as well.

Meltzer stated: “I was under the impression that they promised him a main roster spot, and they told the writers that they want storylines for Adam Cole on the main roster on Raw or SmackDown. So, I think that was part of the meeting. ”

A new direction

We’ve been reporting extensively on the new direction that is supposedly the plan for NXT moving forward; how this new direction is the brainchild of McMahon himself and not Triple H’s and/or Shawn Michaels’.

To see the effect that these changes will have on the product still remains to be seen, though.

Things seem to be moving forward with plans and the feuds started for NXT TakeOver 36. They even ran a spot about the O’Reilly vs. Cole feud on Raw this week, as well as the other feuds.

They’ve been building this feud for months; Cole and O’Reilly going back even to their days in ROH and even beyond just that promotion as well.

As I’ve written before, this is an angle that’ll probably reach its zenith by the time the smoke clears after TakeOver 36. Zenith being the top of a mountain or summit, and once you reach it, there’s nowhere else to go.

Now I can go into the Buddhist principles put forth by Jack Kerouac in his writings about going past the zenith when you arrive at it, but I don’t think anyone at WWE has the time for any of that—although quite valid as a philosophy—the way things stand right now, sadly. It definitely would have been great to see this feud go further, however.

Regardless, to the main roster, it would seem that he is headed.

But did he in fact sign on with WWE once again, and if he did, for how long this time? Is it merely an extension like before?

By now we all know that his contract had been up before the Great American Bash and he extended said contract a little longer so he could complete the aforementioned angle with O’Reilly. After that point, it is unknown what the plans are as far as being under contract with WWE is concerned.

Good question.

Should he jump ship?

Truthfully, with everything going on in WWE right now, the best move for Adam Cole is to go to AEW.

The comments made by Vince McMahon, stating that he doesn’t want the smaller guys in the company, him wanting to return to the Big Man mentality he always had a strong conviction for in the past—a philosophy that always worked well for him, he obviously feels.

Whereas in AEW, athletes that are smaller are all having spectacular runs, as are the big guys. AEW provides the perfect balance, and if you’re not built like Brian Cage or John Cena, it doesn’t have an effect on your status with the company, which these days is probably as it should be.

Should he trust a company that has released the likes of Braun Strowman, Ric Flair, Bray Wyatt, Mercedes Martinez, and Bronson Reed (as well as a plethora of other talented wrestlers) inside of three months!? That’s a definitely loaded question, but one that he certainly needs to think about.

And as old Stone Cold used to say: DTA (Don’t trust anybody), Adam.

Signing with WWE provides too many uncertainties right now, and for Adam Cole, who busted his hump working for that company, he doesn’t need any uncertainty moving forward. He needs to go to a place where he can face the best in the business; perhaps even…the best in the world.