Adam Cole talks Bullet Club, Wrestle Kingdom 11 experience and Cody Rhodes
Ring of Honor’s Adam Cole talked with FanSided about breaking into wrestling, Bullet Club and working with Cody Rhodes.
Adam Cole has become a top name in Ring of Honor over the past few years and is one of the most recognizable performers in all of wrestling. He has faced some of the biggest names and is beginning to wrestle all around the world, including having a bigger presence in New Japan Pro Wrestling since 2016.
Recently, Cole became a three-time ROH World champion at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 11 event on January 4. This was a history-making moment for the 27-year-old, as he is the first wrestler to hold this prestigious belt three times. His reign is continuing into the spring with title defenses still to come.
Cole spoke to FanSided about becoming the ROH World champion, along with Bullet Club, breaking into the wrestling business and working with former WWE star Cody Rhodes.
What was your experience like breaking into the wrestling business?
I grew up like most guys who become pro wrestlers — a pro wrestling fan. The first wrestling events I remember seeing were WrestleMania 15; I saw Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock for the first time, and was hooked. All through middle school and high school, I had my mind made up that I wanted to be a pro wrestler. Throughout this fandom that I was experiencing, I found a bunch of new, different wrestling promotions all across the country, and the world of independent wrestling.
One of the companies that I discovered was called “Combat Zone Wrestling” in Philadelphia. CZW would have this tournament every year called “Best of the Best,” where they took some of the best independent pro wrestlers from around the country and had them wrestle in this tournament. I remember going and watching this event, being blown away just loving the entire show and then waiting afterward to meet some of the wrestlers. One of those guys that I met was CZW head trainer DJ Hyde. I was talking to DJ and I remember I built up the courage to tell him that when I graduate high school, I want to be a wrestler someday. He looked me right in the face and said, “Well, why wouldn’t you want to wrestle now?” I remember it took me back for a second and I said, “Well, DJ, I would love to, but I don’t know if I’m going to be able to drive two hours to Philadelphia, two hours back, Monday through Thursday on a school night. I don’t know if my parents would allow me, and I don’t know if I have all the money up front immediately to pay the tuition.” I was unaware I could pay it in increments. He told me as long as I get my full tuition in by the time I graduate, don’t worry about it. If you could only come down one or two days a week, that’s totally fine by me also.
The following week, I started training to be a pro wrestler. DJ Hyde and Jon Dahmer were the two head trainers for me. They were excellent trainers. They were very tough on me, but in the best way possible. They wanted to make sure pro wrestling was something we wanted to do. I would go to seminars all across the country, any shows they were booked on, and have me ride along. So whether or not I was getting booked, I would at least help set up the ring, make some connections, kind of learn the entire process of what goes into putting on a pro wrestling show. I was very fortunate. I had a very good start.
How did you first get noticed by Ring of Honor?
I had gone a little bit here and there to the Ring of Honor school. Actually, at one point, it was pretty consistent, about once a week. I used to go and I used to train there as well because, again, I used to try to get my feet wet in every different area and every different school that I could. I would train as much as I could. So I started going to the Ring of Honor. Then because of that, I would start going to the Ring of Honor events that were on the East Coast and help set up the ring. I would do a dark match here and there. I would just try my best to intertwined in that system, and I had been doing random pre-show matches for Ring of Honor for probably about a year. I was 19, probably at this time. I remember every time I would come to the back — Adam Pearce was the booker at the time and he would say, “Great job. Keep it up!” A year of this had gone on, and I was like, “I’m not doing enough to grab their attention or captivate them or show my value to them”.
So I remember I decided to send Adam Pearce a promo of mine that I had been doing. I had been doing this kind of heel work for these Maryland independent wrestling organizations. He saw that promo and he really liked it, so he wanted me to come to the show and actually cut a pre-show promo for the live audience. I was doing that and Jim Cornette happened to be paying attention. He saw something in me that he hadn’t seen before when I was talking. So, long story short, I ended up talking to some people and it took a couple of months, but I ended up being offered a contract with Ring of Honor. Then I started my journey with them in 2010.
After you joined Ring of Honor, was there a moment that felt like “I made it into a top star”?
Fast forward to 2012, it was a Best in the World show and I wrestled my longtime rival and partner Kyle O’Reilly in a Hybrid Fighting Rules match in the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. At this point, me and Kyle were rising stars in Ring of Honor. We had the support of the fans, but we hadn’t really made our mark completely yet. That match, for us, kind of took us over the edge as far as having a very strong fanbase and kind of skyrocketing forward with winning the Ring of Honor Championship and things like that.
In that match, I actually got busted open and this was not planned and something that just happened, which is part of what we do. I was bleeding buckets — the blood was literally squirting out of my mouth. It was one of the craziest visuals ever, but the New York fans were so captivated and into this matchup that me and Kyle both knew that with this simple mistake, we had something very special. Pretty much from that point on, I had been treated by the Ring of Honor fans as a main-event player, a guy that they support and a guy that they’re going to watch perform. That, for me, is the big moment that sticks out.
Speaking of Kyle, you faced him back at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in January. You became the first ever three-time ROH World champion. What was that like for you?
It’s pretty surreal. When I look back on the Ring of Honor champions, it’s an elite list of guys like Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Nigel McGuinness, Seth Rollins — the list goes on and on. Everybody knows that with the Ring of Honor Championship, if you are on that list of guys who held the title, you certainly have left your stamp on the world of pro wrestling. So for me to be the guy — the first guy ever — to win it three times, the fan in me just can’t even really process it. It’s something so cool that I don’t think 14 or 15-year-old me could ever imagine that happening. The wrestler in me realizes, though, that I have a lot of work to do. I know the responsibility and pressure that comes with being the Ring of Honor champion. To be the first ever three-time champion, that’s an uncharted territory and a new realm of pressure and expectations. It is something that I definitely feel ready for and prepared for. I thrive in high-pressure situations. So it’s a whole mixed bag of emotions and all very positive.
Later at this show, the guy who you’re teaming up with at Honor Rising — Kenny Omega — he also had an incredible match with Kazuchika Okada. What did you think of that match and where does it rank among the best matches you’ve seen?
That absolutely, bar none, no question was one of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen. I was so glad I got to be there live for it. Interestingly enough, some of the guys actually went out and watched the show, or that match, out in the building to get the full experience. It’s something that I regret — that I didn’t go out and watch it with the people since I watched the entire thing on the monitor. But the advantage that I had, that other people who went maybe went out and saw it live, was I got to experience this really cool moment. When there were about 10 minutes left in that match, I was sitting back there by myself watching this match — and the Tokyo Dome is a very large building — and when I’m watching this match, the building is literally shaking for what felt like 10 minutes. The fans were so excited and so invested and so into this matchup they were having. To be in a building that holds 60,000 and to feel that building shaking for such an extended amount of time, while Kenny and Okada were putting on that match, made me realize and everyone else realize how special that match was. Kenny has been a once-in-a-lifetime performer for years now, so it’s really cool that he finally got to showcase how special and talented he really is on such a big stage. I’m glad I got to be there for that.
You were saying how the building was shaking there. In general, what is the difference between the American wrestling crowd and the Japanese wrestling crowd after being over there a few times now?
The biggest difference is over here in the states, we have very passionate, die-hard hardcore wrestling fans and they’re some of the best in the world. Those fans make a lot of noise constantly. They’re constantly shouting, chanting, booing, cheering, whatever it is that they’re doing, they’re constantly making noise and it must be exhausting — but they’re great.
Over in Japan, it’s a much different realm. It can be very intimidating the first time you’re in there and the bell rings. If you go and look at the audience, lots of times the fans won’t be making much noise at all and they’ll all be sitting there intently just watching everything that you’re doing. When you look out in the crowd in Japan, no one is on their phones. No one is talking to their friends. Everyone is just sitting there intently watching every single thing that you’re doing. Again, it can be a very intimidating experience, but when the Japanese wrestling audience gets lost in the match, they’re really invested deep into the match. They’re so awesome and so into what you’re doing. It can be much different, especially if you haven’t experienced it before, but it’s just cool and just as enthralling to wrestle over in Japan as it is in the states.
Part of your experience in Japan has been as part of Bullet Club, which has gone through changes over the past year. How do you think the group has managed to remain in the spotlight all this time?
I think the biggest thing that Bullet Club has been able to do is always bringing on the right people. What I mean by that is, when Finn Balor left, some die-hard Bullet Club fans thought Bullet Club was in trouble. Then they brought AJ [Styles] on board and people were unsure about AJ. Then AJ proved how excellent of a wrestler he is and how well he fits in Bullet Club, and Bullet Club was more popular than ever. Then AJ, Karl [Anderson] and Doc [Gallows] left. A lot of people were unsure if Bullet Club were going to survive. I happened to be the guy they brought in next. Bullet Club has always been very good at staying ahead of the curve and bringing in the right people to keep the group relevant and keep the group exciting.
I think the other thing that really sticks out, as far as Bullet Club thriving and going so well, is a lot of us are genuinely friends out there. We’re not pretending to get along, we all really do get along, and we’re all having the time of our lives. I have not had more fun doing anything else in pro wrestling than being part of Bullet Club. A lot of these guys, especially guys like the Young Bucks, are my close personal friends. We all share the exact same mindset and passion for pro wrestling, so getting to do that all over the world with your buddies and just go out there and have the time of your life. In pro wrestling, again, a lot of these fans that are the same age as us and grew up watching the Attitude Era, which was so fun. Bullet Club tries to bring back that fun that was in pro wrestling. We try to go out every single night and steal the show. So it’s just a cool relationship that we have with our fans, where we tell them and we show them that we’re going to give them our all and make sure they have a great time. In return, they make a lot of noise for us and they support us. Bullet Club, it’s crazy because you see Bullet Club tattoos, Bullet Club t-shirts, and people aren’t even necessarily wrestling fans, so its transcended pop culture. There’s no question it’s the most influential wrestling group in the past decade. It’s really cool to be part of.
We even saw earlier this year when WWE attempted to do a mini version of [Bullet Club] with the Club. If a version of Bullet Club was ever used in WWE, even TNA or wherever, do you think it could succeed elsewhere with similar characteristics?
I think it all depends on circumstances. I think Bullet Club is effective enough and name valued enough that it could succeed in a place like WWE, I think there’s no question. I do think that a big reason the group does so well, currently, is the freedom that the guys have, and the creative influence we have that we can present ourselves and how we want to be portrayed, is a lot based on the guys within the group. So having that creative freedom and creative direction to kind of be what we want, do what we want and say what we want I do think transcends through the camera. So it’s really tough to say whether or not the group would really succeed. If I were a betting man, I do think that with the right players, with the right guys, and the right team knowing what they want to do with Bullet Club, I think it certainly could succeed. Again, it’s been so tough to tell considering we’re not in that situation right now.
You had a former WWE guy, Cody Rhodes join recently over the past couple of months. What do you think of the impact he’s made for the group and, in general, since he left WWE last year?
I think Cody, at the end of 2017 — and I stand by this and have been saying this for a while — I think Cody will have one of, if not the most talked about independent wrestling careers of anybody else this year. Cody’s a guy that followed the independents, even when he was involved in WWE. Cody has such a passion and love for pro wrestling, not just WWE. He loves all of pro wrestling, loves New Japan, loves Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. He loves the art of what we do and he’s very smart. Cody realizes that reinventing himself on the independents again, being given the chance to show what he feels he brings to the table, and he’s succeeded greatly over these past few months. Cody fits perfect with Bullet Club and what we’re doing. Cody thinks the same way we do, he acts the same way we do and I really stand by that Cody’s going to have one of the most talked about years of any pro wrestler this year.
Is there one wrestler who’s not in Bullet Club that you would like to see join at some point?
If I’m talking in a perfect “we can pick anybody” world, the one guy that I think, and I’m sure the Young Bucks would agree with me, but a guy like Kevin Owens would fit so perfectly with our group. We had a group in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla called the Mt. Rushmore of Pro Wrestling, and that was very Bullet Club-esque. It had its own differences and formula of what we did, but oftentimes me and the Bucks talk about how awesome we think it would be for Kevin to be with us because he has the attitude, the mindset and the presentation of something that would fit perfectly with Bullet Club. So I think in a perfect world Kevin Owens would be my next choice of a guy to join Bullet Club.
Speaking of Kevin Owens, did you get a chance to see his recent turn on Chris Jericho with the “Festival of Friendship” segment on WWE Raw?
I, unfortunately, did not get to see it, but I keep hearing about it and I do need to watch it. I’ve been on the road quite a bit lately, so I haven’t gotten the chance to check it out yet.
In turn with that, since people were calling it one of the best wrestling segments of the past 10, 20 years, what was one of your favorite wrestling moments you’ve ever seen?
The biggest moment for me as a fan — the moment that made me want to become a pro wrestler — was at WrestleMania 17, when the Rock wrestled Steve Austin for the second time. I remember being a little kid and being so blown away that Steve Austin and Vince McMahon were now working together, and I remember my jaw dropping and I couldn’t process that these two had finally agreed to come together. I remember that whole moment of the Limp Bizkit “My Way” music video being in front of 60,000 people, and that was the first time I ever got goosebumps. I remember being moved by the entire match and how into it the crowd was. And then those two shaking hands at the end and being together. I remember just at that very moment saying, “No longer do I want to be a pro wrestler, I need to be a pro wrestler.” For me, that moment will always stick out like my No. 1 moment because as a kid, I decided to make the decision of wanting to become a pro wrestler. Nothing is going to surpass for me.
In March, you’re facing Christopher Daniels for the ROH World title at the 15th Anniversary Show. What are your thoughts on facing him and how much are you looking forward to the match?
Christopher Daniels was a guy that I’ve been watching since I was in middle school and high school. When I first started watching Ring of Honor, he was a guy that I was a huge fan of. So it’s pretty bizarre to fast forward 15 years later from Ring of Honor’s first event and say that at the 15th Anniversary main event, it’s myself as the Ring of Honor champion facing a guy like Christopher Daniels. There’s not many people I respect more than Christopher Daniels because of how much he’s done, not just for Ring of Honor, but for pro wrestling. He’s a guy that constantly helps out the younger talent. He’s better than ever, gets better every year and the guy just doesn’t age. For me to get the chance to wrestle him on such a big platform, because I’ve wrestled him multiple times before, but I’ve never gotten the chance to wrestle him in this high-profile, lots-of-eyes-on-us, type of match. I’m very excited because it’s a match that if you were going to ask me six months ago, “What’s a big high-profile match you would like that you haven’t gotten the chance to have yet?”, I would tell you it would be a guy like Christopher Daniels. To do it in Las Vegas is going to be awesome. Our Las Vegas fans are some of the best Ring of Honor fans we have. It’s definitely going to be a special night on multiple levels.
Tying in with one of the last things you just said there, is there one wrestler you’ve wanted to face the most that you haven’t been able to have the opportunity to yet?
The No. 1 guy for me, as far as a one-on-one encounter that I haven’t, is [Hiroshi] Tanahashi from New Japan Pro Wrestling. I think that guy is just a complete utter rockstar. He’s my favorite wrestler in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and he’s a guy that still captivates me when I watch him. He’d be the guy, whether that’d mean Ring of Honor or New Japan Pro Wrestling. He’d be the guy that I’d love to have a very big one-on-one singles match with.
By the time your career ends, what is something you think you will accomplish that you haven’t yet?
Hm … well, I think based on the way that me starting over in New Japan Pro Wrestling, that being a big goal of mine for quite some time and getting my chance to go over there and wrestle there, my goal is to become IWGP Heavyweight champion. At some point, when my career is finished, I want to be able to say that I’m the three-time Ring of Honor World champion and the IWGP Heavyweight champion.
Next: Ranking All WrestleManias In History
Adam Cole is competing at Saturday’s Honor Rising show, which is a co-promoted event between Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. You can subscribe on njpwworld.com to watch this.
Cole will also be competing at the ROH 15th Anniversary Show on Friday, March 10 in Las Vegas, NV as well. He’ll defend the ROH World Championship against Christopher Daniels — that’s if he can successfully retain the belt against challenger Bobby Fish coming up. The show can be seen on PPV on rohwrestling.com, and you can also view the show via the Fite TV app.