Adam Cole once seemed destined to become one of wrestling’s biggest stars. Now he fears for his career due to a dangerous injury. His boss Tony Khan does not sound optimistic.
Adam Cole, one of the most talented wrestlers of his generation, may have to end his career. Several months ago, the star of WWE rival AEW, who has suffered repeated serious head injuries, prepared his fans for this possibility. Now his boss is also giving a glimpse into his thoughts on the matter. In an interview with renowned journalist and podcaster Ariel Helwani, AEW promoter Tony Khan spoke about the future prospects of 36-year-old Cole. He does not sound optimistic and speaks only in the subjunctive about the possibility of a ring comeback. “I think it has to be the right situation for Adam to wrestle again,” Khan said, “but I do believe it’s possible for Adam to remain part of the family.” If Cole wants to, “there’s always a role for him at AEW.”
It could “make a lot of sense” if Cole decided he wanted to get back in the ring, but his responsibility for the health of the active wrestlers requires him to carefully consider “whether it is safe for everyone involved.”
Adam Cole had a bright future ahead of him
Cole, 36, from Pennsylvania, had distinguished himself in the 2010s as one of the most athletically capable and charismatic young independent wrestlers. Cole, a companion of AEW co-founders Kenny Omega and Nick and Matt Jackson (The Young Bucks) in the legendary Bullet Club at NJPW in Japan, moved to WWE in 2017, where a golden future seemed to await him. The “Panama City Playboy” was often compared to legend Shawn Michaels, his great role model, who became his mentor behind the scenes at WWE.
In the developmental roster NXT, Cole formed the popular group The Undisputed Era with his companions Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish (later joined by Roderick Strong). He became the figurehead of the show, which at the time was presented as supposedly equivalent to the main shows RAW and SmackDown.
In 2021, Cole made a much-publicized move to AEW. Rumor has it that he was dissatisfied with the prospects offered by WWE. It is widely believed that he was not tall and muscular enough for his then-reigning ex-boss Vince McMahon to present him as a big star.
Leading role in the first AEW mega show at Wembley
Instead, Cole became part of what is certainly the most spectacular personnel shake-up in AEW history to date: within a few weeks, AEW signed Bryan Danielson, who had also left WWE, and CM Punk, who was returning from retirement. As a result of the resulting wave of euphoria, AEW briefly became serious competition for WWE, the market leader at the time, which was in crisis, and in some weeks achieved better TV ratings than WWE’s flagship Monday Night RAW in the main target group. Cole took on a leading role in the burgeoning young league: In the summer of 2023, he was in the main event of the promotion’s biggest show to date. As the climax of the highly acclaimed friend-foe storyline with then-World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF), Cole challenged MJF and treated the more than 70,000 fans at London’s Wembley Stadium to a thrilling spectacle.
However, Cole’s long history of injuries had already begun at this point, which has since had a massive impact on his career.
A long ordeal
In June 2022, Cole suffered a severe concussion at the Forbidden Door show, which already had him fearing for the continuation of his career at the time. Cole suffered from nausea, insomnia, palpitations, and panic attacks, as he later reported. After a nine-month break and his big appearance at Wembley, the next injury horror followed a few months later: he suffered a triple ankle fracture and several torn ligaments in a failed jump from the entrance ramp—this time resulting in a 13-month break.
Cole’s career has not really recovered since then, and personal turmoil has added to his problems: last year, Cole announced his separation from his long-time girlfriend and colleague Britt Baker. Baker is also the subject of ongoing speculation because AEW has not used her since November 2024 for unclear reasons. There is speculation about a rift and plans to move to WWE.
The next piece of bad news for Cole followed in the summer when he suffered another concussion shortly before AEW’s annual highlight, All In, and had to be removed from the card at short notice.
Cole spoke of a possible “farewell”
With tears in his eyes, Cole instead gave a speech to fans in Arlington, Texas. He said he would be “out for a while” and didn’t know if his career was over, but that he was currently unable to make a final decision. However, he wanted to make sure he spoke to the fans again “if this really was goodbye.”
A heartfelt message from @AdamColePro.
Watch AEWAllInTexas LIVE on PPV right now! https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj pic.twitter.com/pwvHvwi6fA
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 12, 2025
The next AEW show, Full Gear, is coming up this weekend in Newark, New York. Among others, Cole’s longtime rival Kyle O’Reilly will be in the spotlight. O’Reilly, who recently led his team to victory over Jon Moxley’s Death Riders in the TV special “Blood and Guts” — the AEW counterpart to WWE’s “War Games” — will face Moxley in a no-holds-barred match with no rules.
Meanwhile, Cole’s future remains completely uncertain.
