During AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, we would see a Fatal Four Way match over the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Jay White was defending against Hangman Page, Adam Cole & Kazuchika Okada – making it one of the biggest matches of the show. However, it would lead to Cole suffering a concussion, after a stiff dropkick from Okada. This would put him on the shelf for the rest of 2022 – but while he worried his career was over, Cole was able to recover.
Adam Cole Didn’t Know If He Would Return From The Ring
While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Adam Cole would say the following about his recovery from injury.
“I think that was definitely the scariest process, aside from the fact that, again, any time you get a head injury, it’s always a little bit scary. But for me, the scariest part was after like a month had gone by. The first three weeks to a month, you’re like, ‘Okay, I’m recovering, I’m just healing. I’m gonna be fine. I’m not gonna have any side effects. Everything will be great.’ The crazy thing was that after even a month, it was like that’s when real serious side effects started happening. Literally, everything I said in my return in-ring promo that I did, all of that was true, and more. There was a lot of stuff that was happening very late into the healing process, or what I thought was late, like a month-and-a-half, two months.
But I was genuinely very, very nervous, and really afraid that I might be told I’m not allowed to wrestle again. For me, I have a tendency lots of times where, when I get bad news, I just assume the worst. I mentally prepare myself to go, ‘Okay, I’m gonna have to deal with this new chapter of my life.’ Of course I had the hope and dream of being able to get back in there. But just with all the news I was getting, how I was feeling, I’m like, oh my god, I can’t be in a car for more than 15 minutes, and it’s been two months. How am I ever gonna get into a wrestling ring again? But fortunately, I’ve said this before too, but the doctors that I had around me, AEW by the way, were fantastic through this entire process.
In-Ring Return Coming Soon
Cole would return with a babyface promo on the January 11th episode of AEW Dynamite – thanking the fans for their support. Since then, we’ve seen pre-taped promos of Cole getting some ring time in before AEW events, as he prepares for his in-ring return. With AEW Revolution just around the corner, it seems likely that is where Cole makes his in-ring debut.
While an opponent remains unclear, a match for the TNT or All-Atlantic Champion would work perfectly for Cole, putting him against either an old foe in Samoa Joe or a fresh opponent in Orange Cassidy.
Are you excited to see Cole back in AEW? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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