wrestling / News
Adam Cole On Biggest Lessons He Learned In WWE NXT, His Respect For Triple H’s Work Ethic
In a recent interview on AEW Unrestricted, Adam Cole discussed the biggest lessons he learned in NXT, his respect for Triple H’s work ethic, and much more. You can read his comments below.
Adam Cole on his experience in NXT and his relationship with Shawn Michaels: “Across the board, when you think about all the knowledge these guys have and not just that, but the willingness to give up that knowledge. It’s priceless in a lot of ways. Whether it be Regal, whether it be Terry Taylor, or whether it be Shawn Michaels, all of them are just so passionate about wrestling and so willing to talk about it and give that knowledge up. My relationship specifically with Shawn, to this day, still exists. He is someone who helped me tremendously when he didn’t have to. I look at Shawn Michaels still to this day as the greatest pro wrestler of all time. He’s a guy I have idolized to this day. So, he was so, so helpful in getting me to think outside the box in a lot of ways and think about things I didn’t normally think about…..I love him to death. I love Terry and Regal as well. When I say I had a wonderful time there, that’s an understatement. I really had a great time there. I wouldn’t be the wrestler I am today if it wasn’t for my time there.”
Adam Cole on the biggest lessons he learned in NXT: “There was a mentality I learned there that I don’t think I necessarily applied before I spent time in NXT, and in a funny way, it’s when to get super serious. I remember there was a phase for a long time where I would have matches at Ring of Honor and PWG and they would get intense and physical, but I used to be so concerned with just getting the crowd to react as much as possible, whether that was gaga or being funny. I was just all about getting them to respond, and it worked to some extent. But after spending time there and realizing how important it is when you’re 15 minutes into a match and it’s go time, you better treat it like it’s go time and that you’re in the middle of this epic battle. My time in NXT helped me tune into that a little bit better because Triple H and Shawn both had that same mentality of, ‘You’re in a war, it’s for the championship, let’s go. No fun and games anymore. You’re trying everything you possibly can to win.’ Between that, and when to speed up and slow, I think those were the two biggest things.”
On his respect for Triple H’s work ethic: “The other thing too is, and I really respect this about Hunter. That guy is being grabbed in 18 different directions all day. He’s always on the phone, he’s always being pulled to the side, he’s always being asked his opinion. For him to not only succeed in every single thing he’s been asked to do, but do it with a smile on his face and a passion for the industry, is admirable. We all love pro wrestling, but he’s been going at this for a really, really long time. To see him with that mentality and mindset – the same with Shawn – is inspiring. It used to fire all of us up. I learned a lot of lessons from those two.”
If using any of the above quotes, please credit AEW Unrestricted with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.