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Adam Cole is one of NXT's brightest prospects. He's transitioned seamlessly from the Indys into WWE's developmental system and is now at a point where he ought to be called up to the main roster.
However, this can be a dangerous point in any WWE superstar's career as poor initial booking has led to several promising wrestlers floundering and quickly becoming afterthoughts.
Adam Cole is still only 28 and so if WWE book him correctly they could have a star on their hands for years to come. This is how I would do it...
#5 Laying the groundwork
The Miz and Finn Balor have teased a feud over twitter and in this week's gauntlet match on Raw. The two are incredibly competent workers and Miz's talents on the mic could bring out a little more charisma in Balor than he has shown to this point. Therefore, I'd have these two spark a feud following Elimination Chamber. Balor can appear on MizTv the next night on Raw and declare his intentions to take the Intercontinental title away from The Miz.
The next week he can take on The Miz in a non-title match and win, then get jumped and beaten down by the Miztourage before Anderson & Gallows can come down and protect him. Angle can then announce that the following week if Balor can beat both Axel and Dallas in a handicap match, he will get his Championship opportunity at WrestleMania. Obviously, I'd have Balor win and let this feud bubble all the way to WrestleMania, making it The Miz vs. Finn Balor for the Intercontinental championship.
The other two members of Balor Club also need a greater role heading into WrestleMania. At the moment they are trading wins with The Revival and while I think it's important The Revival are given opportunities to shine on Raw, I'm not sure they've been booked well enough for them to be a WrestleMania title-match calibre act in time for the grandest stage of them all.
Therefore, at Elimination Chamber I'd have The Bar go over Titus Worldwide, leaving the champions in need of a challenger for WrestleMania. Anderson & Gallows, The Revival and Titus Worldwide can all throw their hats in the ring and claim they're worthy of the title match.
Angle can then announce a round robin tournament to determine the number 1 contenders, with Anderson & Gallows and the Revival both defeating Titus Worldwide in the opening two matches. In the deciding match-up, The Revival can seem close to cheating their way to victory having taken out the referee and looking for an illegal chair shot, before Balor can come flying down to the ring make the save and leave his club members to pick up the win.
The two storylines can then overlap in the build-up to WrestleMania. We can see MizTV segments with Anderson & Gallows, Anderson & Gallows vs The Miztourage and The Bar & The Miz vs Balor Club. I'd also book a Miz and the Miztourage match vs. Balor Club with the winner being able to choose the stipulation for the Intercontinental championship match at WrestleMania. Balor club should win and choose a Steel Cage match that would elevate the spectacle of a Miz vs. Balor match at WrestleMania. Heading into WrestleMania, each member of Balor Club has a chance at gold...
#4 WrestleMania and Raw the night after
Anderson & Gallows should go over The Bar in clean fashion in what would likely be a pre-show match at WrestleMania. Miz vs Balor should command a main card spot and Balor ought to prevail in this one as well, potentially following a coup-de-grace from the top of the cage. This gives Balor a real WrestleMania moment and leaves all of Balor Club with gold and looking dominant.
The next night The Miz can appear beside himself, furious with losing his title. He can demand his rematch that night and in the main event as a no-disqualification match. Early on in the match, the Miztourage can come down to the ring, beat down on Balor before being taken out by the new tag-team champs who can charge down to the ring to help out their stablemate.
Angle can then announce that both the Miztourage and Anderson & Gallows are banned from ringside or they'll be fired. Miz and Balor can then commence to have a violent match with Balor looking like he's going to retain the title. With Balor closing in on victory, The Bar can come down to the ring and start a 3-1 beatdown on the Intercontinental champion.
With Balor in a bad way, a hooded figure should emerge from the crowd, super kicking both members of The Bar and then the Miz in turn. Balor can then pick up the victory following a coup-de-grace and be handed his title by the hooded figure. At this point, the hooded figure can reveal himself to be none other than...Adam Cole, in complete Balor Club attire.
#3 Initial feud
The following week the A-lister can then invite Adam Cole onto MizTV the following week. After Cole's introduced himself and explain his actions the Miz can attack him and send him face first into the MizTv monitor. Miz can then scurry away from Balor Club who would try and come to Cole's aid.
The next week Cole can make his in-ring debut beating Bo Dallas before receiving a chair-shot from the Miz who can then disappear into the crowd, once again avoiding repercussions from Balor Club. A similar moment can take place the next week with Cole beating Axel and then suffering a backstage attack from the Miz when his Balor Club buddies aren't there to protect him.
This can lead to Cole being kayfabe injured and briefly (very briefly don't worry) being written off the TV. Balor can announce the sad news to the WWE universe and also call out the Miz for his actions. Miz, in typical Miz fashion, can accept but only on the condition that it's a title match at Backlash.
Angle can book the match but state that if the Miz loses this time, he can never challenge for the title again as long as Balor remains champion. This leads to a pair of WrestleMania rematches at Backlash with Balor vs. Miz III for the Intercontinental title and The Bar cashing in their rematch clause for the tag team titles vs. Anderson and Gallows.
Anderson and Gallows can retain and move on to more interesting match-ups against the Revival. The Miz should look on the verge of finally getting back his precious Intercontinental title via nefarious means before a returning Adam Cole can march down to ringside and lead to Balor winning yet again.
#2 Mr Money in the Bank?
Both Cole and the Miz ought to qualify for the Money in the Bank briefcase match. In the build, up to the event, the Miz's rage can shift from Balor to Cole who he blames for costing him two Intercontinental title matches at this point. The two can have clear goals for winning the Money in the Bank match with Cole wanting to make a name for himself and join his Balor Club friends as champions and Miz looking for revenge on Cole and to earn the opportunity to challenge for a different title as he is no longer able to pursue the intercontinental championship.
Cole will need to establish himself as a credible threat heading into the match so I'd have him knockoff Roman Reigns to earn his spot in the match. The win can come via some shenanigans (a diversion by a returning Dean Ambrose?) and Reigns can get his revenge over him the following week but two quality matches with Reigns should go along way to establishing Cole as a force to be reckoned with.
In the Money in the Bank match itself, the Miz should target Cole from the outset, seemingly more interested in hurting him than in winning the match. In the latter stages of the matches, however, with Cole already laid out for some time, Miz should be presented with a clear run to the briefcase. He can slowly climb the ladder before a wounded Cole can tip Miz off the ladder, through some tables and claim the briefcase to win. Adam Cole is Mr Money in the Bank, and the Miz is kayfabe injured and written off TV for about a month.
#1 To SummerSlam and beyond!
Cole would make a great Mr Money in the Bank, a constant threat to whoever is champion at the time. He should tease cashing in a number of times during his first month with the briefcase. This can also create an interesting dynamic with Balor club as it would consist of Mr Money in the Bank, the Intercontinental champion and the Tag Team champions all at the same time.
Cole can claim his briefcase virtually ensures him become the headline champion of the brand which makes him the biggest star in Balor club and can lead to the teasing of infighting and leadership struggles that have made Bullet club so intriguing. Cole club can be teased heading into extreme rules where I'd have Cole booked without a match.
Following the conclusion of the title match, where I'd like to see Strowman retain over Rollins, the champion can be laid out in the ring awaiting a typical Money in the Bank cash in. The big screen can then reveal Cole being decimated backstage by a returning Miz who can conclude his onslaught with a Skull crushing finale onto Cole's Money in the Bank briefcase.
The next night Cole can come down to the ring, admit that he and the Miz have unfinished business and challenge Miz to one match to end their rivalry. This can set up a match at SummerSlam, which following several more Miz attacks and demands, can be made a TLC match for Cole's Money in the Bank briefcase.
At SummerSlam, I'd have the Miz win, setting up another championship run and a WrestleMania main event for the A-lister (against John Cena or, if possible, Daniel Bryan). Cole ought to take a little time out after a violent TLC match and return to more Bullet club related storylines, ideally playing a part in a Bullet Club vs All Stars Survivor series match.
