"I hope he comes back to WWE," "He killed his own career" - Fans react to AEW star Adam Cole celebrating major anniversary

August 19 is the anniversary of a pivotal moment related to Adam Cole. Fans reacted to this and looked back at the AEW star's career, with some talking about missed opportunities and potential future moves.

The Panama City Playboy is known for his runs in ROH, WWE, and AEW. During his time with the Stamford-based promotion, he took over NXT with his faction, the Undisputed Era. He would go on to become a Grand Slam Champion on the brand, winning the NXT Title, the North American Championship, and the tag team titles. He also remains the longest NXT Champion in history in his singular reign.

It has now been eight years since he debuted in WWE NXT. Adam Cole made his debut at Takeover: Brooklyn III, attacking Drew McIntyre, alongside Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish. This was a monumental moment that would change the then black and gold brand forever.

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Fans have reacted to this, with many believing that his leaving WWE was the worst decision of his career. Some claimed that he could have become a main eventer had he stayed. One fan even held out hope that he would be able to return eventually.

WWE legend says Adam Cole could retire

At AEW All In: Texas last month, Adam Cole heartbreakingly revealed that he was going on an indefinite hiatus due to health reasons. He even relinquished his TNT Championship as he was unable to defend it that night.

Reports have since indicated that he was dealing with concussion issues that stemmed from a match he had before the pay-per-view.

A few days after his announcement, during an episode of Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the veteran addressed the situation. He believed that, given the gravity of the situation, Adam Cole may have gotten a wake-up call regarding his condition. This could lead to doctors eventually advising him to retire.

''I hope he's okay. I hope he recovers fine, but any type of injury like that, you know, could just end your wrestling days because it's too dangerous to continue. One more injury, you know it could be even worse; you could be paralyzed... You can only have so many concussions without ramifications, and this may be his wake-up call. Hope not, but you don't know if he tries it again. So, maybe the doctors will tell him just to hang it up." [1:24:19-1:24:54]

Adam Cole did hint at his All In appearance being his potential last appearance in front of an AEW crowd. While nothing is set in stone, this could end up being a reality if the risks outweigh the rewards.

About the author

Enzo is a Pro Wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda, reporting on AEW. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Multimedia Studies, which influenced his decision of taking up sports writing professionally, and has been an avid fan of the athletic theater since childhood. He believes readers deserve authentic and unique content and aims to report in a manner which pro wrestling fans can easily relate to.

Growing up, Enzo admired former world champions like AJ Styles, Will Ospreay, Bryan Danielson, Triple H, and Randy Orton for their finishing moves. As an adult, he started to appreciate their character work, as they juggled between heel and babyface gimmicks.

If allowed to produce one final storyline involving his idols, he would have Orton lock horns with John Cena, would be their one last big feud as both of them seem to be approaching the tail end of their careers.

Other than pro wrestling, Enzo enjoys keeping up with Basketball, Football, and Formula One. He also loves watching films, playing video games, and listening to music.

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Edited by Harish Raj S