Adam Cole Reveals ‘Big Reason’ He Jumped From WWE To AEW
Adam Cole says three big factors pushed him to sign with AEW last year. But he stressed that the biggest was his relationship with former AEW Women's Champion Dr. Britt Baker. Cole says it was difficult for them to spend time together while he was working for WWE.
"One of the biggest things was getting to be around and see Britt a lot more," Cole said during a panel discussion at Motor City Comic Con earlier this month. "At the time, our schedules were so different that there'd be some times that I'd see her for maybe half a day, one day a week. Sometimes I wouldn't see her for weeks at a time. So getting to travel with her and just being behind the curtain when she walks through after she's done a match or a promo is really nice."
Cole spent four years in WWE, most of it as a top start in the company's NXT brand. Cole won the NXT Championship and the NXT North American Championship. But while he was enjoying great personal success, he was also watching what was happening in AEW.
"It just looked like so much fun," Cole recalled. "You know, I had known tons of people on the roster, but to see these crazy, wild crowds every single week, I was like, 'God, I'd love to wrestle in front of these fans.'"
Cole eventually left WWE after his contract expired last August. Just days later, he made his AEW debut at the end of the company's "All Out" pay-per-view last September.
Cole said another major factor in his decision to jump to AEW was his not wanting to give up streaming on Twitch. WWE's policy on Twitch streaming.
In 2020, Wrestling Inc. was the first to report on WWE introducing a new policy for its talents on third-party platforms. Talents are permitted to maintain Twitch and YouTube accounts under their real names. However, WWE is in control of those accounts and the company receives a percentage of the revenue, which counts against the talents' downside guarantees.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Ethan Page's YouTube channel with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.