Fantasy, Logical, Dubious, Wildcard: What Next For WWE NXT's Adam Cole?
The former NXT Champion is at a crossroads in his career...
Dubious - Stay in NXT
I think it’s accepted now that Adam Cole is the greatest star in NXT history, or at the very least prominently featured on their ‘Mount Rushmore’.
The second NXT Triple Crown Champion, Cole has done everything there is to do in NXT. And therein lies the problem.
Whilst Cole staying in NXT isn’t out of the question in the slightest… what will he do if he stays? He’s feuded with everyone of note. He’s bossed the main event, the mid-card, and the tag division. He’s ran solo, and as the leader of the dominant Undisputed Era. He’s been a face, a heel, and a tweener.
So again; what would be next?
Cole could feud with Roderick Strong and Diamond Mine, or potentially clash with Samoa Joe over the NXT Title when Joe inevitably crushes Karrion Kross. Both would make for great feuds or matches, but both would be retreads or slight re-imaginings of stuff he's already done.
As a completionist, the idea of Cole losing a loser leaves NXT match to Kyle O’Reilly and disappearing into the night would be the perfect conclusion to Adam Cole’s NXT run, given that Cole gave Kyle his marching orders from ROH.
As an NXT fan though, the idea of a Cole-less black and gold brand does fill me with a bit of fear. Given how they lost the Wednesday Night Wars, never mind the fact that Vince McMahon and co. clearly see it as nothing more than a developmental brand, I’d worry for NXT if Cole were to leave.
Granted NXT would still have plenty of fantastic wrestlers on board, and have lost stars of a similar calibre before, but with WWE’s recent releases and how NXT sits in the eyes of the hardcore fan, I feel NXT’s standing would vastly diminish if Cole packed his bags and left.
