NXT's Adam Cole Recalls Finding Out He Was In The 2018 WWE Royal Rumble
Cole was a surprise inclusion in the 2018 match
Jul 6, 2021
Adam Cole has revealed that Triple H was the person to tell him he would be a surprise inclusion in the 2018 WWE Royal Rumble match.
Cole entered the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble in the 23rd spot as one of two surprises from NXT, with the other being Andrade, less than 24 hours after competing on NXT TakeOver in a violent Extreme Rules bout with Aleister Black.
His surprise inclusion was a pleasant surprise for NXT fans and Cole has now spoken about finding out about being in the match, as well as what it meant to participate in Philadelphia.
Speaking to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Cole said: "I found out less than 24 hours before. I was pulled into a room after TakeOver, and Triple H was the one who told me. He goes, 'Hey congratulations, you're gonna be in the Royal Rumble tomorrow,' and this was right after my Extreme Rules match with Aleister Black.
"But, aside from just being just a massive fan of the Royal Rumble, that one was in Philadelphia and I used to go to shows in Philadelphia all the time. To be able to do the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia where I trained to be a wrestler, where I would go to shows all the time. As a surprise, for the fans to be excited about it, I was like 'Oh my god. What a massive thing to check off the bucket list.'"
