Adam Cole On Triple H’s Confidence In Him, The Undisputed ERA’s Bond & A Full Year As NXT Champion

Adam Cole reached a milestone in WWE when he became the longest-reigning champion in NXT history, recently surpassing 365 days as champion.

ESPN has given Adam Cole a platform to reflect on his 365 days as NXT Champion, the milestone moments and matches that made him one of the cornerstones of the brand, and everything that has come along with that responsibility.

One of the key aspects of Adam Cole’s rise to the top of NXT has been his relationship with Triple H. Triple H, as the mastermind of NXT, has spoken out many times about how he feels Adam is the Iron Man of his brand and how proud he is of Adam Cole.

“Nothing makes me prouder than being NXT champion,” Adam began. “Representing everything NXT stands for and bringing as much attention to it as I can. But in many ways, having the trust of Triple H and everyone in NXT as a whole is almost more rewarding, just because of the respect that I have for those guys and the amount of talent that they’ve worked with over the years. Of course, you want the fans’ respect, you want to become champion, you want to main-event, you want to go to pay-per-views, but having the respect of your peers is incredibly important.”

He continued, “Triple H is a boss that I obviously really respect. For him to put me in that position without blinking an eye and saying, “Yeah, this is exactly what we’re going to do, and I’m not worried one bit. I know he’s going to deliver,” is really, really cool. When you’re trusted that way, it gives you this sense of confidence that you can do anything.” 

Adam Cole and his time in NXT will forever be linked to Undisputed ERA and its other members, Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly. For Adam, he says their bond is not just for television, it is as real as it gets.

“Having the support of the three guys with me in The Undisputed Era has made it all sweeter. These guys have been friends for a decade. I’ve been [to] their weddings, we talk every single day. Whether it’s the matches we’ve had together or traveling to the next show together, or just talking in general, Kyle, Bobby and Roderick Strong have completely had my back the whole way through it.

“Even if they’re not there at the beginning of a match, they usually end up coming out by the end. On the rare occasion they’re not, one of them will be the first people that I talk to once I get to the back, one of the first people to give me a hug, one of the first people to say, ‘Good job,’ one of the first people to give me input or advice. It is a real brotherhood, and whether you have successes or failures, it’s always better to share it with people that you’re closest to.”

You can read Adam’s full reflective piece at this link.

Adam Cole will be challenged by The Velveteen Dream at NXT TakeOver: In Your House in a Backlot Brawl on Sunday, June 7th, 2020.