10 Exact Moments When Ex-WWE Wrestlers Knew They'd Made The Right Decision

8. Adam Cole

Bryan Danielson AEW
AEW

Why He Left WWE: Cole, by his own admission, had a wonderful time under WWE's banner. More specifically, he'd enjoyed years of success in NXT and formed key friendships with both Triple H and Shawn Michaels. That's why he deliberated long and hard about leaving for pastures new.

The former Undisputed Era leader eventually departed in late-August 2021.

The Moment: Admittedly, this is slightly cheesy, but Cole told Renee Paquette's 'Oral Sessions' pod that he'd literally closed his eyes in bed and visualised walking out onto the AEW stage before it even happened. That pushed him towards a fresh start, and the moment didn't disappoint when it came.

Adam strolled out to a booming reception at All Out this past August. The smug smile on his face told the full story - Cole knew he'd made the right decision, and he was visibly struggling to keep a lid on it. Amazingly, he also knew that Bryan Danielson was about to debut too, so he only had a few mins to hog the spotlight.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.