On the January 11 episode of AEW Dynamite, Adam Cole made his return to the promotion after being sidelined from in-ring competition AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door with concussion issues.
Cole has been a heel during his entire AEW run, and the last time fans saw him on screen in 2022 was on the August 3 episode of AEW Dynamite when he, Bobby Fish, & Kyle O'Reilly turned on The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson).
Upon returning in January, Cole received a babyface reaction and once he told his story of what he had to overcome with concussion issues, fans were even more on his side.
Speaking to Dave Meltzer and Garrett Gonzales on Wrestling Observer Radio, Cole discussed now being a babyface in AEW.
"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," he said.
Now that he's back on television and gearing up to make his in-ring return, Cole still has a big goal in mind for his AEW career.
"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," he said.
Cole has challenged for the AEW World Title on multiple occasions, but came up short in two matches, one of which was a Texas Death Match, against then champion Hangman Page.
Cole's in-ring return has not officially been announced, but he has hinted on television that his return will happen at AEW Revolution.
Elsewhere during the interview, Cole detailed his injuries and what he went through. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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