It’s somewhat cliché for wrestlers to talk about how much they love the business, but Adam Cole must really, really love it.
Earlier this year, Cole returned to AEW after nine months away due to severe concussion symptoms. His journey back was one of the main subplots on “AEW: All Access” as it became obvious his return was not guaranteed.
That hard work paid off as Cole became part of one of the hottest angles in pro wrestling, forming an unlikely friendship and tag team with AEW World Champion MJF — and helping Max discover some of his better angels in the process.
Unfortunately, misfortune struck Cole again on the Sept. 27 episode of Dynamite, when he hurt his ankle jumping off the ramp on the way to help MJF. On a recent Twitch stream, he explained to viewers the extent of his ankle injury and what it will take to come back from it (h/t Fightful for the transcription).
My ankle is broken. When it’s all said and done, When I’m eventually able to get everything all fixed, I’m going to need to get two surgeries, and it will be a total of eight screws and a plate in my ankle. So, not ideal.
Cole also said his doctors described the injury as a “freak type of thing,” which it absolutely appeared to be while watching it live. He added that it was “the most painful injury I’ve ever had” and called it “soul-crushing.”
At age 34, Cole could certainly call it a career and be very pleased with what he’s accomplished across a number of wrestling companies. Still, with the feeling that he still has new heights he could hit in AEW — and considering what he’s already been through to get to this point — it wouldn’t be shocking at all to see him come back with a vengeance.
It’s just going to take some time and some hardware. But other wrestlers might want to think twice about cutting promos in the future questioning Cole’s passion for wrestling, because there’s no doubting it given what he’s putting himself through to entertain us.
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