adam cole apparently he has done it all. An indie favourite, he too has conquered WWE and is well on his way to climbing the AEW mountain. It’s a mark of his talent that he’s been able to succeed in any promotion he’s set foot in, whether it’s in the minor leagues or in the big time.
While he may be known primarily for his associations with WWE and now AEW, the 33-year-old has enjoyed huge success in smaller but just as big promotions. He has had successful stints with Ring of Honor and PWG, as well as making it big in the Far East with New Japan Pro Wrestling, as seen below.
10 Training and debut
At age 18, Adam Cole’s professional wrestling training began in 2007. He went to Combat Zone Wrestling’s academy and trained with DJ Hyde and Jon Dahmer while still a senior in high school.
The Lancaster, Pennsylvania native’s in-ring debut came in April 2008 at an American Championship Pro Wrestling event under the ring name Adam Cole. He made his CZW debut in no pun on June 21, 2008, teaming with The Reason in a loss to Alex Colon and Joe Gacy.
9 Mia Yim’s escape
Currently signed to Impact Wrestling, Mia Yim is one of the most talented female stars in the business. Interestingly, she and Adam Cole rose through the ranks of professional wrestling when they performed for CZW.
The two were brought together as a badass couple by the hardcore wrestling company, where the genesis of Cole, the hated cute boy, as he used to make out with Yim before their matches began. This gimmick helped him outperform and showcase his potential to other bigger promotions.
8 time in the indies
As mentioned, Adam Cole is a legendary name in independent circles. After his debut with CZW, he competed on the independent circuit for numerous promotions such as World Xtreme Wrestling, MCW Pro Wrestling, IWA-Mid South, Ground Breaking Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling World.
He also held multiple championships including the CZW Junior Heavyweight Championship, MCW Rage Television Championship, WXW Ultimate Hybrid Championship, and the WORLD-1 North American Championship. All of this success led to him signing with ROH and reaching a wider audience.
7 Eight-year ROH term
Adam Cole joined Ring of Honor when he was 20 years old and quickly became one of its standouts. He debuted for the legendary independent promotion on February 28, 2009, losing to John Kerman.
However, he soon rose up the card and won multiple titles with the company, including his world title three times, before leaving the company in 2017. Aside from these reigns, his team with future rival Kyle O’Reilly, called Future Shock , and his Bullet Club antics are some of the most memorable aspects of his time there.
6 Previous association with Roderick Strong
Adam Cole and Roderick Strong may be best remembered for their unstoppable time in WWE NXT as the Undisputed Era, but that wasn’t the first time they’d teamed up. The two, along with Eddie Edwards, were signed as Dojo Bros by various independent companies.
The trio of friends became famous for delivering chops to their opponents and outclassed in most promotions. Rewardingly, Edwards became a major star in Impact Wrestling, while Cole and Strong signed with WWE and enjoyed significant success.
5 History of “Adam Cole Bay Bay”
Adam Cole’s signature pose, in which he throws his hands up and shouts “Adam Cole Bay Bay” along with the adoring crowd, is one of the biggest spectacles in professional wrestling today. However, this was not always the case, nor do many people know where he got this move from.
Apparently, this idea came from mixing Joey Mercury, who frequently called out his name in the ring during matches, and a Chris Jericho heel standing on his opponent’s chest and taunting them with lines like “come on, bay, bay.” . A young Cole combined these two acts and had to perform his version repeatedly before audiences finally fell in love with him.
4 bullet club
Thanks to a partnership between ROH and NJPW, Adam Cole debuted for the latter at the G1 Climax 24 – Tag 12 event in August 2010 in a tag team match with Michael Bennett. They defeated Captain New Japan and Jushin Thunder Liger.
Come May 2016, he would join the iconic Bullet Club, which was a fruitful association for him. Cole won two ROH World Championships and defended the titles at NJPW and ROH events as part of the stable before being kicked out by The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega.
3 PWG World Champion
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla is a pretty underrated company in the eyes of many fans, but Adam Cole made sure to make his mark here as well. He debuted for them on October 22, 2011, with his regular tag partner O’Reilly as Future Shock, losing to The Young Bucks for the PWG World Tag Team Championship.
Cole would claim the PWG World Championship from Kevin Steen (now Kevin Owens) in PWG mysterious vortex in December 2012. He held the title for a fantastic 538 days, proving Bookers’ faith in him.
two Eternal feud with Kyle O’Reilly
Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly may have been associated as successful partners for over a decade, but they inevitably drift apart and become enemies on a blood level. This has been through three promotions over the years.
ROH and PWG saw them featured as Future Shock before feuding as main entrants. Lastly, NXT replicated the storyline when the Undisputed Era ended up pushing Kyle as a face, with the two always delivering solid storylines.
1 Another top ROH faction
Bullet Club isn’t the only great stable Adam Cole has been a part of. Cole may have been an integral member of the group’s history, but there was a previous notable faction that led ROH.
The Kingdom had Cole, Mike Bennett, Matt Taven, and Maria Kanellis as members. Interestingly enough, ROH did a lot of Kingdom versus Bullet Club matches when AJ Styles was the top American wrestler in the latter.