Adam Cole is a man who has split the opinion of fans around the world for the last few years. Through his work in Ring of Honor and beyond Cole has been able to establish himself as one of the hottest heels in professional wrestling, in addition to becoming an integral part of the now-legendary Bullet Club faction.
But as we approach the mid-point of summer 2017 it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the 28-year-old is destined to make the trip to Orlando sooner rather than later. While this doesn’t exactly help the theory that the company are throwing a bunch of indie stars into NXT to boost the ratings, what it does do is open the door for some exciting possibilities regarding Adam’s debut.
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A talent of his stature and notability clearly deserves a big introduction, and there are several ways in which that be achieved. Not every single debut needs to include something extravagant or over the top because sometimes subtlety is the greatest tool that you can utilise. Will Triple H do Cole justice? Only time will tell.
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So with all of that being said, here are five ideas for Adam Cole’s NXT debut.
#1 Sanity infiltrator
The group known as Sanity have been running through NXT with ease since debuting a few months back, and despite cooling off recently, they’re still as dangerous as they’ve ever been. So then, why not use them as a tool in the storyline for Adam Cole breaking into the developmental system for the first time?
Have an infiltrator appear for a couple of weeks in the group, with nobody knowing the actual identity of the star. He doesn’t attack anyone, and Eric Young is cautious but just kind of allows it because he looks like one of them. Then, during a Takeover match, Cole reveals himself to have been the infiltrator all along.
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#2 Roode style
When Bobby Roode appeared in the front row of Takeover: Dallas last year, it changed the landscape of NXT forever. The former TNA stand-out is one of the biggest stars we’ve ever seen walk through the yellow ropes, and it all began because he sat in the front row of a Network special.
Sure this could also be described as the Drew Galloway effect, but Bobby’s story continued for a few weeks past Takeover. We’d have Cole show up in a notable arena, continuing to tease his debut for a few months before finally pulling the trigger. Repetitive? Yes. Effective? Most definitely.
#3 Pre-announced
It’s no secret that NXT’s ratings and popularity have slightly dwindled over the last twelve months, and that kind of thing is to be expected when you consider how many stars have been promoted to the main roster. So then, if you want to boost them back up again then why not pull a trick from Raw or SmackDown Live’s playbook?
Announce in advance that Adam Cole will be arriving in NXT at a pre-determined date, leading to a great deal of excitement when it comes to how he’s going to make his first impression. This has worked for a number of stars down there, and whether he comes in as a heel or a babyface, it’ll be effective regardless.
#4 Big impact
Picture the scenario: Bobby Roode is defending the NXT Championship against Drew Galloway at Takeover: Brooklyn III. The Scot appears to be on the verge of capturing the belt from Bobby when all of a sudden the lights go out in the arena. Yes, it’s cliché, but just go with it.
They come back up, and Adam Cole is there with a lead pipe, at which point he attacks Galloway (potentially while the referee is down). He drags Bobby on top of Galloway, later revealing that he did it because he’s more confident of beating Roode than he is Galloway. Hey, honesty is the best policy, right?
#5 Masked vigilante
This is similar is some respects to a few of the prior entries, but it depends on how long you run the story for. In the same kind of vein as The Drifter Elias Samson, you could have Cole being seen in the shadows during backstage segments and briefly walking through the crowd during matches.
It’s clear that he’s up to something, attacking people for a few weeks before finally unveiling himself to be the former multi-time ROH champion. He could explain his actions by stating that he was testing out just how smart the crowd and Superstars backstage were, revealing that they’d all lived up to his low expectations. Ultimate heat.
You may not be a big fan of the indie star, but nobody can deny that his star power will help to take NXT to the next level and then some.
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