Tony Khan Says Adam Cole Didn't Have To Wrestle Again For AEW, He Would've Been Paid

One year ago, Adam Cole was in the midst of recovering from severe post-concussion syndrome, which called his wrestling career into serious question. Now, he is one day removed from headlining the biggest wrestling show in AEW history – All In – where he may have lost his AEW World Championship match to MJF, but perhaps found something better in solidifying their newfound friendship.

Following All In, Cole spoke at the post-show media scrum about how he went from potentially retiring to headlining one of the biggest events in wrestling history. Cole, who also won the ROH World Tag Team Titles with MJF earlier in the evening, admitted it both had and hadn't sunk in and that his experience from a year ago had inspired him to stop and take in this big accomplishment. Sitting alongside him, AEW owner Tony Khan also spoke on how far Cole had come in a year, revealing that Cole worked to return to the ring not because he felt he had to, but because he wanted to.

"He came back purely for the love of the game," Khan said. "This man ... I think it's fair to say this wasn't money motivated or greed motivated, because if you don't mind me saying — I would've paid you every f*****g dime, even if you never stepped in the ring again. And that's what I told you. I wanted you to feel no pressure to step into this ring and put your safety at stake," Khan continued, "and I wanted you to know you were getting every f*****g dime of that contract ... And you came back because you love pro wrestling and you wanted to be here. And that's what makes this so special. Thank you."