Adam Cole shares heartbreaking details of his injury - "Absolutely soul-crushing"

Adam Cole is back in action for AEW after months of uncertainty and speculation on his in-ring future. The veteran grappler failed to secure a match at the sixth annual Full Gear PPV, but now he's just glad to be back. He is now opening up on just how bad his health had really been, and his potential retirement from All Elite Wrestling.

The Panama City Playboy made his surprise AEW debut at All Out 2021, just days after his WWE contract expired. While challenging then-IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White in a Fatal Four-Way at Forbidden Door in late June 2022, Cole suffered a concussion. After a hiatus to recover, he returned in January 2023 but then suffered a freak-accident ankle injury in September of last year. AEW featured Cole at times, but he did not return to regular physical action until WrestleDream this past October.

Cole appeared for an interview on Unlikely with Adrian Hernandez, where he was asked about his thoughts during the ankle injury recovery process, and if he ever considered retirement. It was pointed out that the 17-year industry veteran also dealt with the recent concussion issues, and has had a number of problems in recent years. The 35-year-old reiterated that he never thought of ending his career.

"The concussion was genuinely scary. There was real question of if I was going to be able to come back, and fortunately, I got the clearance from doctors that it was completely safe, it was fine, I was able to return. So, when this issue with the ankle happened, there was never a point where I felt like, 'OK, I’m going to retire,' because I knew this was something I could come back from. Now, as far as mental discouragement... it was an all-time high," said Adam Cole. [From 7:17 to 7:44]

Cole further said that he was a bit worried about the concussion but thankfully he did get the nod to return to action. However, he admitted that the ankle injury after that felt "soul-crushing." He also noted that while his mental discouragement at the time was at an all-time high he never felt he could not come back from his injury or that he ever considered retiring from AEW.

"I think I was more discouraged about the ankle than I was even about the concussions, which were just worrisome at that point, but just coming back from that injury for six months, then having this happen... it was was absolutely soul-crushing. But to answer your question, no, there was never a point where I thought, 'OK, you know... maybe I should stop wrestling.' I'm nowhere near ready to accept the fact that my career is over, and I think I have a lot of my career left to give. So, yeah... I was always confident I was going to come back," Adam Cole added. [From 7:45 to 8:12]

Adam Cole wrestled three matches since returning to the ring in late October, in the race to beat Roderick Strong to three wins to earn a match at Full Gear against MJF. The fan-favorite wrestler defeated Buddy Matthews, then beat Malakai Black the following week, but came up short against Konosuke Takeshita last week.

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Adam Cole officially loses AEW Full Gear race

Adam Cole has officially lost the recent race to three wins with longtime associate Roderick Strong. As a result, Strong vs. MJF for the first time ever has been confirmed for Saturday's Full Gear PPV.

MJF offered to grant a Full Gear match to the first man to reach three wins, but it was later said that there could be a Triple Threat if Cole and Strong reached three at the same time. Cole had wins over Matthews and Black but then lost to Takeshita. Strong defeated Shane Taylor, The Beast Mortos, and then won a Falls Count Anywhere match over Lance Archer.

The Star Of The Show appeared on Wednesday's go-home edition of Dynamite and gave a big endorsement to Strong against MJF. The inaugural WWE NXT North American Champion was then interrupted by another longtime associate, Kyle O'Reilly of The Conglomeration. O'Reilly warned that Adam Cole's crusade with MJF must end before someone got hurt, adding that Cole should stop having friends fight his battles. They had a few more words before O'Reilly walked out.