Adam Cole sheds light on the infamous 'Keith Lee manager' pitch

Current ROH Tag Team Champion Adam Cole has opened up about the controversial pitch that was reportedly made before he left WWE, which would have seen him cut his hair and manage current AEW star, Keith Lee.

Cole left WWE in August 2021 after his contract expired. This allowed him to show up at the end of the AEW All Out pay-per-view a few weeks later due to not having to deal with a non-compete clause.

Before he left the company, rumors began to swirl online about a potential offer that was made to him which would have seen him move to the WWE main roster. However, he wouldn't have been wrestling. Instead, he would have been Keith Lee's manager, and he would have had to cut off his trademark long hair.

Over two years on from his WWE departure, Adam Cole revealed during an interview with Inside the Ropes that he was never pitched to be Keith's manager. However, that isn't to say that the idea wasn't discussed in WWE:

"I truly do mean this, I never heard this pitch. Not once was I told, 'Hey, we're going to bring you up to RAW or SmackDown, and you're going to be a manager, and you're going to cut your hair and completely change your look.' I never heard that... I'm not saying that wasn't something that was discussed, and then that went through the grapevine... Again, is it true? I don't know, but I'll tell you again, I never heard that pitch. I never heard that idea." [28:02-28:48]

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Adam Cole will be in action this Sunday at AEW WrestleDream... or will he?

Since returning from injury in March, Adam Cole has played a pivotal role in all but one of AEW's pay-per-views (missing Forbidden Door in June due to an unexpected illness). That run will look to continue this Sunday when Cole is involved in a big title match in Seattle.

Cole and MJF will defend their ROH Tag Team Championships against The Righteous, who defeated Best Friends, The Hardys, and The Kingdom on the most recent edition of Rampage to earn their shot. However, there are some question marks surrounding Cole's health.

During the closing stages of MJF's AEW World Championship match with Samoa Joe on the "Grand Slam" edition of Dynamite, Adam Cole ran down to the ring to cheer Max on. During his run, he jumped off the elevated ramp and was seen limping immediately after.

Adam was reportedly seen leaving a New York hospital on crutches, and with Better Than You Bay Bay set to cut a promo this week on Dynamite, perhaps Cole's health will be the subject of discussion.

Do you think Adam Cole will wrestle this Sunday? Let us know in the comments section below!

Please credit "Inside the Ropes" and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.