WWE's Reaction To Adam Cole's AEW Debut Revealed
Backstage update on Adam Cole's AEW debut, WWE's reaction, and more.
Adam Cole's debut at the end of AEW All Out 2021 may have surprised the fanbase, though it sounds like WWE's internal reaction was a little different.
While nobody Fightful Select had spoken to within WWE had been straight-up told that Cole would be debuting on the rival pay-per-view, they weren't particularly surprised by his appearance, with the internal belief being that the 32-year-old was heading to AEW as of last weekend.
WWE had been operating on the belief that Cole was gone from the promotion following his contract's expiration on 27 August, going so far as issuing an internal memo to that effect. Company personnel praised the former NXT Champion for how he handled his exit from the company - including his contract's surprising expiration (and short-term extension) in July.
Per Fightful, Cole's deal with AEW wasn't made official until Sunday (5 September), the day of the show.
Cole's AEW debut came after Kenny Omega's successful World Title defence over Christian Cage and saw him align with The Elite. Seconds later, he was outdone by fellow newcomer Bryan Danielson, who helped Cage, Jungle Boy, and Luchasaurus chase the heels off to close the pay-per-view.