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#4. AEW made Adam Cole a heel when he should have been a babyface
AEW immediately positioned Adam Cole as a heel by aligning him with the Elite and the Young Bucks. While that seemed logical, given their history, it might not have been the right move.
It’s clear that the former leader of the Undisputed Era is one of the most popular wrestlers in the industry.
His entire presentation makes for a perfect babyface, from his insanely catchy theme songs to super fun entrances. Fans can’t help but chant “Boom” and “Adam Cole BAY BAY” every time he enters an arena.
They clearly want to root for Cole no matter how dastardly he tries to be.
So why not keep him a good guy instead?
#3. Cole has only been involved in mid-card feuds
Many fans assumed that Adam Cole would be treated like a top star in AEW. He could have been put in the World Championship or TNT title picture immediately, and most people would have been engaged in the feuds.
He certainly has the credentials seeing as he was one of the faces in NXT and its biggest draw for the longest time.
However, his feuds within the company so far have been underwhelming. He joined the Young Bucks to form the SuperKliq in their feud against Jurassic Express, which saw them lose a 6-man street fight at Full Gear in 2021.
Cole then transitioned into a rivalry with Best Friends, culminating in a Lights Out match with Orange Cassidy on last week’s Beach Break. Again, he lost that blow-off match.
Because he’s not in the world title picture, some argue that he’s “regressed” or would be in a better position if he’d remained in WWE. Perhaps this is the company’s way of getting him acclimatized to the audience before pushing him into more prominent stories.
But it’s disappointing to see one of the most popular wrestlers on the roster be relegated to secondary storylines.
