Adam Cole made his return to AEW on the January 11th episode of Dynamite from Los Angeles, drawing a massive babyface reaction. Cole talked about his comeback in a conversation with Wrestling Observer Radio, as well as his goals now that he’s back.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
Getting a babyface reaction for his return: “In this particular situation, if I would have come through with a different approach of cutting a heel promo or acting like a heel right from the return, we would have been fighting upstream. It was one of those things where, of course, the fans were going to be excited and be behind you, especially when they hear the story. In that sense, that process has been easier. In general, I have been a heel for 95% of my entire career. I’ve talked like a heel and wrestled like a heel for a really long time. To even step outside of that comfort zone and talk, like I feel, as a babyface would, was very mentally intimidating for me. Fortunately, the process of the real journey and real story makes it easy because it’s all real. It’s all things that I actually feel. The entire recovery process was all real. At this point, whether it’s heel or babyface, I’m just worried about telling my story and I’m glad the fans have my back on this one.”
His goals in AEW: “I do think, and I’ve had this mentality, literally since I started. To go back a little bit, I remember when I first started training, I had this [goal] of, ‘Okay, I want to get signed by WWE, and I want to be the world champion, and I want to main event WrestleMania.’ When you think about all that, and how far away that goal is, it’s so overwhelming, especially for someone like me and the way that my brain operates. So I remember, very early on, saying, ‘I’m gonna drive myself crazy if I obsess on certain goals, especially goals that I can’t control, per se.’ I’m gonna take every day by day, and just be the best version of myself, in the ring or on the microphone, that I possibly can be. I’ve kind of instituted that mentality throughout my entire career.
“At this current time right now, I’m just so excited to be back. I can’t wait to get back in the ring, and I’m so thankful that I’m actually able to get back into the ring, especially with that scare of thinking it might not happen. Regarding the AEW World Championship, of course. I would love the chance to be the AEW World Champion. That’s absolutely a goal in the back of my mind. Again, that’s the stamp of approval from the company that you work for, saying, ‘Alright, we’re gonna get behind this guy. We’re gonna give this guy the ball.’ So certainly, being the AEW World Champion someday is a goal of mine, but currently, in this moment right now, I’m just thinking about being able to get back in the ring and wrestle, and being back on the road. That’s a big win for me.”
