Why Adam Cole's AEW Run Has Been a Failure So Far 

Him, Britt, and Keith Lee they have absolutely and undoubtedly wasted them

0:51 Britt Breaker The lesser known cousin of Bron Breaker😂

You could argue that AEW has mishandled Adam Cole, but I’d say his injuries were a huge factor.

Injuries, the "Devil" character, and the Undisputed Elite story not panning out have all been the biggest reasons imo.

The biggest problem is that Tony Khan can’t pivot. They revealed the devil knowing mjf was too injured to be on tv and then just removed Adam Cole from tv after a couple of weeks. Instead of having Adam Cole leading a group of heels attacking the roster (like solos bloodline) and keeping Adam relevant adam disappeared.

He has been severely injured 2 different times during this run. When he wasn’t hurt he has been a part of 2 of the biggest stories in the company. I mean he main evented All In against MJF. Also titles are not everything

As much as I would say it is In actuality it’s only been bad because of him being injured

Nxt/WWE Cole was so good and he was getting pushed like a huge deal bro. He was a hhh guy too. BUT if he’s happy that’s alll that matters

Everyone in AEW: DO ME NEXT

Adam Cole left WWE too soon. If he had just stuck it out a little longer until HHH took over creative, he'd be World Heavyweight Champion right now. I have a feeling he wishes he had re-signed with WWE.

How can you waste someone who has spent more time on the injured list then the active list...

The devil gimmick killed his aew run 🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️

He was the main event at AEW All In in Wembly Stadium. The bromance between Cole and MJF was THE storyline of the summer.

Holy snap, he’s been in AEW for over 3 years now? That's crazy because he hasn't done anything in AEW.

He was gonna be a manager in the main roster. Leaves because he didn't want to cut his hair and be a mouthpiece for Keith Lee lol. So he then goes to AEW to be a mouthpiece. At least he has his long hair still 😅

It's really weird cuz cole is super nice guy irl while his character is exact opposite

He could have been the next Shawn Michael's but chose all friends wrestling

The conclusion of the "Devil " storyline has to be one of the biggest let downs in a longtime & they've done nothing with it since ...

Dude the guy is injured ..GIVE ME A BREAK...

Cole literally just main evented All In last year, his run has been derailed only because he destroyed his ankle.

Adam Cole left wwe early honestly cuz I think HHH would have booked and pushed him to the moon cuz he's incredible ❤

It was fine enough (for aew standards) till the devil gimmick.

Um, I believe his injuries are the problem.

His feud with Kenny has been so long overdue.

That Jericho vs Cole feud was so ass man. Nobody came out stronger in that feud.

He's been injured like 3 times, accumulating over a year probably close to 2. Has nothing to do with failing this or that.

AEW share some degree of responsibility, I won't deny that. However, the biggest reason is the consistent injuries just as the storylines get going. This has been an issue with the entire AEW roster, so perhaps the company needs to say "No, the risk of injury is too high." A great example of this is Adam Copeland's recent leg break.

I think the timing of it made it seem like a failure. He's currently injured, so it's hard to make the Undisputed Kingdom faction kick off when their leader is injured at the start of the angle. Not only that, at the time, MJF was injured, and that was supposed to be the first feud, but Tony Khan and whoever was in charge of the storyline didn't really pivot that much.

Adam Cole Keith Lee Wardlow Powerhouse Hobbs Roderick Strong Lance Archer Brian Cage Ricky Starks Miro Andrade Malakai Black Buddy Matthews Jay White And many more of the missed superstars that aew have wasted so far.. Cole did main event all in.. Doesn't change the fact that he has been booked like garbage.

Its the indystyle booking that destroyed Cole, Andrade, Miro & other guys like that. The world doesnt need an indy promotion with a big tv deal

He should return in wwe

I mean, everything you describe in the video is super positive... dosent really sound like a failure.

He got injured bruv.I used to scoff at the AEW fans saying that people grift off the negativity around the company but after entering the bubble it doesn't seem far fetched anymore.

I'm sort t50/50 on this. Yes he hasn't reached the same level of success he did in NXT or even ROH back in the 2000s but he has been successful in AEW even if he lost. Honestly he would be in the same position in WWE but with less alliances.

He main evented the biggest event of the year last year. He’s fine he hurt his ankle lol he’ll be back and chugging

Adam Cole needs to come back to WWE

Cole is no doubt the biggest upset in AEW history. He lost every major feud he's had, he's become injury prone, and the Undisputed Kingdom is a temu version of Undisputed Era. Cole needs a repackage when he comes back because this ain't it

The fumbled him the moment he joined the Undisputed Elite or whatever....

I see a pattern where it all goes downhill after their first AEW promo

I used to go to an auction house where I used to get antique furniture dirt cheap because no one either knew what it was or didn't want them.I got a Duncan Fife dining room set for $350!

His injury at Forbidden Door really messed up his run. Then the MJF storyline fell off a cliff before the reveal even happened.

You already know if he leaves, Britt Baker will follow if she feels some type of way

Adam Cole was doing awesome in Aew until he got injured

In another universe Adam Cole and Britt Baker are on the main roster of WWE together making a lot more money and selling out a lot bigger venues. But we're in this universe where that never happened so it's kinda sad.

Adam Cole first run in AEW was too sweet but his most recent run has fell flat honestly,he hasn’t done anything since his been back except for either being a participant in the MJF/Cole story and even later with The Kingdom storyline. Adam Cole,Kyle O’Reilly,and Bobby Fish as AEW Trios Champions would have been a nice route to go with maybe even Cole and ReDRagon defeating Best Friends in a nice storyline to elevate those belts but hey this is Tony Khan’s fantasy child of booking. Adam Cole vs Bryan Danielson should have been Cole’s first PPV match at Full Gear with even Danielson defeating Adam in his first ever match thus adding the cracks to the fall of The Elite and a new era beginning. Adam Cole and Christian Cage feud also could have been better maybe even having Cole and Cage face off in the finals of the 2022 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament with Cole defeating Cage to become the first ever winner. Adam Cole vs Adam Page could come next with a heated TV feud and event with Cole failing to defeat Page for the AEW World Title on multiple occasions and even finally defeating Adam Page in a Non Sanctioned Match at Blood & Guts to end their feud even writing The Hangman off TV for awhile.

That was not the only reason why Adam Cole left WWE. Vince wanted to make Adam a jobber and a manager at the time it was unknown that triple H was going to take over and to top it all off Vince also decided no WWE star will do twitch which Adam Cole was doing at the time

There are much bigger problems with Adam Cole aside from AEW dropping the ball and wasting his talent(which they have). I’ve watched Cole at different stages of his career whether it was catching him in the original ROH, catching the occasional NXT matches, or seeing the majority of his AEW run. Aside from AEW misusing and not using talents, there are big things as a fan that I don’t see any commenting on here even addressing: -Cole doesn’t look like a legit pro wrestler. I know we’re no longer in the 80’s where you need to be 6’8 and 350 lbs but you do need to somewhat look the part. You need to look like you *COULD* kick someone’s ass. If we’re to suspend our disbelief, I gotta be able to think you can kick ass. Adam Cole is every bit of maybe 170 lbs soak and wet with some bricks in his pocket. His girlfriend, Britt Baker, looks more legit intimidating than he does and she probably weighs more too. It’s a huge perception issue and I guarantee you the casual fan flipping through the channels sees Cole and instantly flips it because they don’t believe him. -Injuries. Most have covered this here already but it holds him back. -Typical bad/inconsistent booking in AEW. Again it’s nothing that hasn’t been said but it affects how he is perceived overall. They gave him a strong debut but everything after that fell off a cliff. -Although Cole can talk relatively well and is decent in the ring, he’s not particularly anyone that stands out when you watch him. You don’t look at Adam Cole in a company full of bigger guys or more entertaining guys or guys that are flashier in the ring and say this is who I want to see as world champion. -Although I get it that Cole and Britt Baker are a real life couple, their association on screen does him no favors. I believe the constant reminder that they’re banging doesn’t help either from a presentation standpoint. It actually makes both look weaker than if they were two separate people not acknowledging their relationship on screen. I don’t think most real life couples ever benefit from this either with very few exceptions. I think Adam Cole is a decent performer overall but he’s vastly overrated. He’s an average guy with a below average body and he could help the tag team division or the TNT title divisions. I don’t see him as an AEW World Heavyweight Champion. He’s not a heavyweight and not championship level material. I know people love the guy but I just don’t see it.

if adam cole was booked to face omega and not embracing his elite vibe with him, adam cole will stand out.

LoL his setback is Tony Kahn

Couple of long term injuries at bad times. Plan B for the devil/undisputed kingdom could have been better but without the injury could have been great.

Adam Cole is in a great place regardless. Being in his early-mid 30's, he has ample opportunity to become a World Champ in AEW before he goes back to WWE. Being one of Triple H's boys, I can't see a world he isn't put in the main event upon debut ala Cody Rhodes.

“Undisputed Kingdom”. How original. A cheap rehashing of two of Cole’s past factions.

Injuries. You can’t build a titles run when he’s in a cast or a wheel chair. Ya, the mjf storyline was going in the right direction, but injuries again sidetracked that.

The injury didn't help but knowing TK booking he would have ruined the Devil storyline

The only thing AEW did right was his theme song. He has the best theme song in AEW.

All this was, was a recap of his time. Doesn’t tell my why the run went south. Anyone can say injuries. What a waste of 15 mins

Thank you for adding to the insufferable negativity of the IWC

His injuries have failed him in AEW so far. It’s hard to fully judge when he hasn’t had as much time for Tony to fail with him yet

He’s always getting hurt. He seems brittle. The rotten booking is a side issue. Should have stayed in NXT/WWE. Working with your friends isn’t always a good idea.

His tag team with mjf was legendary, but apart from that it's been very bad

Adam would be great back in wwe

I would love for Adam Cole to back in WWE. Now that HHH is in & Vince is out I have a feeling he would be pushed to the moon.

Granted, his body has been fragile. Not totally on AEW, but they did not do the devil storyline any favors

He got more frail over time and injury prone, he was always in on the degenerate humor of the Bucks (which are ratings kryptonite now), The Devil was a trash storyline that ruined him and MJF and Tony Khan has a creative and booking mind that rivals McMahon in terribleness.

Adam Cole is mostly been injured. He's not done yet. I say they have him dethrone Swerve at Full Gear & have him drop to Ospreay at next year's Revolution or Double or Nothing. Adam Cole vs Will Ospreay is a big time, money making match. I think AEW putting the International Championship on him was the right move. Have Ospreay use that reign to make the International Championship the 2nd most important, most prestigious championship again (It's a gorgeous championship btw) and use this as a test run/transitional experiment to see if he's ready to be a World Champion. Putting a championship on an inexperienced wrestler when they're white hot always ends up failing on them. It happened with Hangman, MJF (Although I thought his championship reign was fantastic and one of thee greatest reigns ever along with Kenny Omega's reign) & now Swerve. That's what Mid card titles are suppose to be right? A transitional championship/test period to see if wrestlers with main event potential are made to be main event/world championship material.

He should have Stayed in WWE and got called up.

The devil story can’t be told without MJF coming back either.

Because adam Cole isn’t a star, and no amount of insisting that he is will change that…

Makes me wonder why they went ahead with the devil reveal knowing MJF was injured and was going to be off tv for a while. They could just made it someone else and have Cole feud with the faction on MJF's behalf.

Actually injuries buried him, his aew storyline ate good, vs oc and vs Jericho vs mjf vs adam page

This isn't entirely on AEW's fault. His injuries slowed him down, sidelining storylines he has with anyone. Some people say the "devil" gimmick killed his chances in AEW which I disagree because everybody know it was Cole which would expand his rivalry with MJF, the problem was that went on too long. Nevertheless, this video is just something to complain about AEW while ignoring the facts.

Even his NXT run is better than this... But tbh my favourite Adam Cole match is vs MJF at All In London

Get well Adam Cole and come back as soon as possible, and my wife said tell DMD Brett Baker we miss her and Jamie Hayter hurry back .

I'm sorry but the devil reveal was stupid

I hope he goes back to WWE. Him, Kyle and Roddy.

That Jericho feud was one ppv cycle but felt like it was going on forever

it hasnt been they had AEW’s hottest angle in 2023

Why? Because that's AEW for ya thats why

How can they ruin him when he was in the main event of there biggest ever show. Had a great storyline with MJF and is injured. How do you know he wasn't about to win the title himself until that injury ?

AEW just doesn't know how to use talent.

Either that shot of the FTW title was an editing mistake or one hell of a shot at the world title😂

The fact that they keep trying to milk the whole Undisputed thing is trash

It was such a failure that he had the main event at Wembley stadium, the hottest storyline of the 2023 summer, stellar matches, amazing promos… and then call it a failure because he twisted his ankle in a TV run in. He has had an amazing AEW run given the circumstances.

Why does no one ever talk about what spot caused the injury? We would if it happened elsewhere...sigh

They come with a bang. And that’s it. Nothing more than just one night pop.

Signing with AEW was Chugs’ most boneheaded of bonehead plays. Biggest Bonehead Play of all time. I want Adam Cole back in WWE. Especially now that we’re in the Triple H era.

If there's one guy they didn't fail, it's Adam Cole. If he hadn't been injured he'd have spent the last year being the king of evil until MJF came back.

I’m gonna take a wild guess and say the back to back injuries and surgeries had a lot to do with it. But don’t let facts get in the way of content.

AEW has also wasted Big Bill,Powerhouse Hobbs and Wardlow .

Cole should have stayed with Hunter. It was clear Trips had huge plans for him.

If there is any example of somewhere coasting because he knows what the environment is like, it's Adam Cole. I have a better physique than him and I don't do anything more than construction work. He knows he will be paid regardless so gives zero fucks as to his presentation, especially since he is in good with those rating anti-draws The Bucks. It just goes to show how damn good the NXT production is to hide his flaws and accentuate his strengths to make you believe this guy actually had something whereas all AEW has done is show him for what he really is: a guy who cares more about having fun with his friends than make a real career for himself. Both he and The Bucks deserve each other.

To think that this would have been able to go off without a hitch if Adam wasn’t injured. Would have been revealed as The Devil sooner and Undisputed Kingdom would the top faction with Cole as the AEW Champion. I think it could have been saved if they just pivoted and made someone else The Devil and change plans instead of dragging it on just to make people second guess if Cole was The Devil or not plus with MJF out and Cole without the AEW world title the faction has no purpose

Triple H would’ve made Adam and The Undisputed Era superstars!!!

Adam Cole is best as a heel but my god when you can turn the heel of heels a massive baby face you are something special in the wrestling business 😂

Adam joining the Elite the night he debuted was a mistake. I get that they were building to an eventual Undisputed Era vs The Elite feud and that would have been great, but he probably should have super kicked The Bucks to get vengeance for the way they jumped him out of The Bullet Club on his last night in ROH.

Not really their fault he’s been injured a few times now. He’s also had a lot of success. Main eventing 3 PPV’s. Imagine he reupped with WWE in 2021. Jobber to everyone or a manger lol

Adam Cole and his emaciated preteen physique killed his AEW run. How the hell is anybody supposed to take a guy who puts so little effort into his physique seriously?

In nxt he had the undisputed era and us on top of the world imagine what he would have been like if triple h had on main roster now

Hey, at least they’ve used him better than Jay White.

He 100% made the wrong choice. He didnt grow up wanting to be a aew superstar. Should have went with wwe. Once his contract is up i hope he goes to wwe. Under HHH he would be a beast. Aew storylines are ass for the most part.