Adam Cole Teases Membership In Another AEW Faction

Following his grand return to AEW on January 11, Adam Cole has now made his first "Being The Elite" appearance after a six-month absence due to a pair of closely-timed concussions. Cole's segment begins with him talking to two unseen friends, initially presumed to be the Young Bucks. However, it is soon revealed that he's actually speaking to Dark Order members John Silver and Alex Reynolds, who try to recruit him into their faction.

Upon first hearing the pitch of Silver and Reynolds, Cole seemed potentially keen on joining The Dark Order. However, he gave them one condition — they can no longer refer to him as "Budge." While Silver and Reynolds agreed, fellow Dark Order member Evil Uno approached the three men and addressed Cole as "Budge." Cole, visibly annoyed, then insisted that he needed time to think over the group's offer before committing to anything.

In past episodes of the series, Cole has enjoyed a love-hate relationship with Silver and Reynolds. The two coined the nickname "Budge" for Cole — seemingly a reference to rumors that WWE owner Vince McMahon pitched the name "Butch" for Cole on the main roster. Just a short time later, after Cole left "WWE NXT" and signed a contract with AEW, the wrestler formerly known as Pete Dunne made his main roster debut under the name Butch, lending a possibility of truth to those rumors.

Despite his frustration with the nickname, Cole developed a friendship with Silver and Reynolds through a "BTE" storyline, culminating in some tension with the group's longtime ally, "Hangman" Adam Page, who was engaged in a lengthy feud with Cole. That tension was eventually resolved, with Page joining Silver and Reynolds to compete in the AEW World Trios Tournament last summer.