Although he is the longest-reigning NXT Champion in history, with a title reign that had just recently exceeded the one-year mark, it’s apparently far from certain whether WWE will be able to convince Adam Cole to remain with the company for the long term.
In a report published on Thursday, Wrestling Inc . noted there are several NXT superstars who are currently expected to be due for a call-up in the coming weeks, including Chelsea Green, Io Shirai, Velveteen Dream, and Dominik Dijakovic, the latter of whom is supposedly set to debut on an upcoming episode of Monday Night Raw . However, that doesn’t appear to be the case for Cole, who reportedly has yet to sign a new contract.
As further noted, Cole’s current contract is set to expire in August. It’s assumed that All Elite Wrestling will show interest in signing the 30-year-old, who also leads NXT’s Undisputed Era stable. Aside from the fact that he’s dating AEW women’s division mainstay Britt Baker, Cole was also part of New Japan Pro-Wrestling faction Bullet Club alongside AEW’s The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), Kenny Omega, and Adam Page.
“If Cole re-signs with WWE for significantly more money, it’s likely that he will get called to the main roster by the fall. If he doesn’t come to terms on a new deal and his contract expires, he would be a free agent in time for the AEW All Out pay-per-view in September,” Wrestling Inc . speculated.
EXCLUSIVE: After taking home the #NXTChampionship at #NXTTakeOver : XXV, @AdamColePro declares that #UndisputedERA is on the verge of running ALL of WWE. @KORcombat @theBobbyFish @roderickstrong pic.twitter.com/K84QIZELGr
— WWE (@WWE) June 2, 2019
Given how WWE released dozens of wrestlers in April over budget concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic, Cole is far from the only current or former superstar who has been linked to AEW in recent weeks. It also appears that AEW is willing to at least add a few names to its growing list of WWE alumni, as the promotion recently signed FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler — formerly known as The Revival) and had them debut on the May 27 episode of Dynamite .
As reported late last month by The Inquisitr , the rumors of Cole potentially leaving WWE and signing with AEW first swirled in earnest late last month, when the reigning NXT Champion was spotted at the rival company’s Memorial Day party. When asked about the possibility of her boyfriend reuniting with his former Bullet Club stablemates in AEW, Baker said that she hoped things could “come full circle” and the group would become “one giant happy family again.”
