Adam Cole Reveals Why He Left WWE To Join AEW
AEW's new "Bay Bay" talks respect for Vince McMahon, Tony Khan and more.
Adam Cole was immediately taken by Tony Khan's passion and zest for professional wrestling.
The former NXT Champion told reporters at AEW's post-All Out media scrum that he found Khan's energy "contagious" as soon as he met him. That, apparently, has helped him realise he made the correct decision by leaving WWE behind and focusing on the future with All Elite.
To his credit though, Cole refused to bury Vince McMahon. That would've been the easy play, especially amidst all the fanfare of All Out, but "Bay Bay" said he had great respect for the WWE boss - Cole also went into detail about several conversations he had with McMahon, and added that he had "no bad experiences" under Vince's rule.
That might've changed had Adam gone to Raw or SmackDown pre-departure.
Cole described his old boss as "intimidating", then turned his attentions to Khan by saying he already feels like he can talk to Tony "about anything". That's a freedom he's looking forward to during his AEW run, and it was a dealbreaker during talks.
The former Undisputed Era leader linked back up with his old buddies in The Elite at the tail end of All Out. Then, in a bonus moment, they all brawled with fellow newcomer Bryan Danielson.