Austin Jenkins[9] was born on July 5, 1989,[2] inLancaster, Pennsylvania, and raised in nearbyManheim.[10][11] He has a younger brother. His parents separated when he was 10 years old.[2] Jenkins tookkarate lessons as a child.[2] Jenkins competed in wrestling atManheim Central High School before quitting his senior year so he could get a job to pay for his professional wrestling training.[10]
Professional wrestling career
Combat Zone Wrestling (2008–2013)
Jenkins was trained at theCombat Zone Wrestling (CZW) Wrestling Academy byD. J. Hyde and Jon Dahmer.[4] He became an official student at the Academy on November 14, 2007, while he was still a senior in high school.[2] He made his CZW debut at No Pun Intended as Adam Cole on June 21, 2008, when heteamed with The Reason in a loss to GNC (Joe Gacy and Alex Colon).[12]
In 2009, Cole teamed regularly with Tyler Veritas and they won a tag teamgauntlet match, outlasting the teams ofThe S.A.T., L.J. Cruz and Izzy Kensington,2.0, All Money Is Legal, and GNC at X: Decade of Destruction – 10th Anniversary in February.[13] At the following show in March, they won a four-way match against the team ofJagged and Cole Calloway, GNC, and Team AnDrew (Andy Sumner andDrew Gulak).[14] After Cole took a hiatus from CZW, he returned at A Tangled Web 2 on August 8, where he and Veritas won another four-way match againstBLKOUT, Team Macktion (TJ Mack andKirby Mack), and The Spanish Armada (Alex Colon and L.J. Cruz).[15] At Down With the Sickness Forever on September 13, Cole and Veritas challenged for The Best Around (Bruce Maxwell and TJ Cannon) for theCZW World Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful.[16] For the remainder of 2009, Cole and Veritas began focusing on singles competition, as they both entered the tournament to determine the inauguralCZW Wired TV Champion, with Cole defeating Alex Colon andRich Swann en route to the final at Cage of Death 11, where he lost to Veritas.[17][18][19]
Cole posing on the ring apron in 2010
At Walking on Pins and Needles in March 2010, Cole wrestledSabian to a 15-minute time-limitdraw.[20] Later in 2010, Cole began challenging for theCZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship and on April 10 at Swinging for the Fences, Cole faced defending champion Sabian in a match that ended in a 20-minute time-limit draw.[21] On May 8, 2010, Cole won the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship by defeating defending champion Sabian andRuckus in athree-way match at Fist Fight.[22][23] Cole successfully defended the championship against Ryan Slater in both June and August andBlk Jeez in September.[24][25][26] At It's Always Bloody in Philadelphia on October 9, Coleturned into aheel (villainous character) by attacking long-time tag team partner Veritas and successfully defended the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship againstA. R. Fox later that night.[27] In November, Cole touredGermany with CZW and he retained the championship againstZack Sabre Jr. at Live in Germany inOberhausen.[28] In December, Cole gainedMia Yim as amanager and she helped him to retain the Junior Heavyweight Championship in two separate matches at Cage of Death XII.[29]
At Twelve: Anniversary in February 2011, Cole qualified for theBest of the Best X tournament by defeating Pinkie Sanchez.[30] On April 9 at Best of the Best X, Cole qualified for the final of the tournament by defeatingJohnny Gargano andKyle O'Reilly in a three-way match in the first round and Sabre in the semi-final, then defeatingSami Callihan in the final, thus winning the Best of the Best X tournament.[31][32] Cole then developed an alliance with his trainer D. J. Hyde, with Hyde helping Cole to retain the championship against Fox in May.[33] Further title defenses against Jonatham Gresham,Chuck Taylor and AJ Curcio followed throughout the year.[34][35][36] On November 12, Cole lost the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship to Callihan despite both Hyde and Yim interfering on his behalf, ending his reign at 553 days, the longest reign in the championship's history.[37]
At An Excellent Adventure in January 2012, Cole unsuccessfully challenged Devon Moore for theCZW World Heavyweight Championship.[38] Cole's alliance with Hyde ended at the Best of the Best 11 internetpay-per-view, when Hyde gained a new protégé inTony Nese who Cole went on to defeat in a match.[39] Cole and Hyde began feuding briefly, with Hyde attacking Cole in May and Cole attacking Hyde the following month.[40][41] In November 2012, Cole went on to feud with Sami Callihan, claiming that he would always be regarded as a better wrestler than Callihan.[42] AtCage of Death 14: Shattered Dreams on December 8, Cole defeated Callihan in aNo Hold Barred match.[43] On April 13, 2013, Cole defeated Callihan in what billed as the "final encounter" between the longtime rivals.[44]
Cole began competing for theEvolve promotion in 2010, making his debut match for the promotion on May 1 at Evolve 3: Rise Or Fall, he lost to Sami Callihan.[45][46] At Evolve 4, Cole defeated Johnny Gargano to improve his record to one win and one loss. Following his victory he challengedJimmy Jacobs to a match at the next show.[47] At Evolve 5: Danielson vs. Sawa, Cole lost to Jacobs.[48]
Cole made hisRing of Honor (ROH) debut on February 28, 2009, when he lost to John Kerman in adark match at theRing of Honor Wrestling tapings.[3] At theRing of Honor Wrestling tapings the following night, Cole appeared in a dark match again, teaming with Ninja Brown against John Kerman and Corey Abbott. The match ended in ano contest when the Dark City Fight Club (Kory Chavis andJon Davis) attacked the match participants.[55] He appeared again on the July 26, 2010, episode ofRing of Honor Wrestling, teaming with Nick Westgate in a loss toThe Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero andClaudio Castagnoli).[56]
On August 23, 2010, ROH announced that Cole had signed a contract with the company.[57] At the August 2 tapings ofRing of Honor Wrestling, Cole was defeated byMike Bennett.[58] Cole began to ally himself with fellow ROH newcomer Kyle O'Reilly, with the pair forming a tag team. At the October 2Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings they defeated the team of Grizzly Redwood and Mike Sydal.[59] They lost toSteve Corino andKevin Steen on October 15, andThe All Night Express (Kenny King andRhett Titus) at a show on October 16.[60][61] They defeated theBravado Brothers (Harlem and Lance) on the November 8 episode ofRing of Honor Wrestling.[62] On November 12, Cole participated in the2010 edition of theSurvival of the Fittest tournament. He defeated Steve Corino in the first round, but was the second person eliminated from the final, a six-man elimination match.[63] The following night inToronto, Cole and O'Reilly defeated the Bravado Brothers.[64] Cole made his ROH pay-per-view debut on December 18 atFinal Battle 2010, where he and O'Reilly were defeated by the All Night Express.[65] On April 1 and 2 at Chapter One and Two ofHonor Takes Center Stage, Cole and O'Reilly faced theBriscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark) and the Kings of Wrestling in two losing efforts, despite putting on strong performances.[66][67] On July 8, Cole and O'Reilly defeated the Bravado Brothers to earn a future shot at theROH World Tag Team Championship.[68] On July 25, ROH announced that Cole had re-signed with the promotion.[69] At the August 13 tapings ofRing of Honor Wrestling, the tag team of Cole and O'Reilly was named Future Shock.[70]
After the ROH World Championship wasvacated, Cole entered a tournament to determine the new champion, defeating Mark Briscoe in his first round match on July 27.[81] On August 3, Cole defeatedJay Lethal to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.[82] On September 20 atDeath Before Dishonor XI, Cole first defeated Tommaso Ciampa in the semifinals and thenMichael Elgin in the finals to win the tournament and become the new ROH World Champion. After being presented the title belt by former champion Jay Briscoe, Cole attacked Briscoe and Elgin thus establishing himself as a villain.[83][84] In early November, Cole suffered aconcussion, temporarily sidelining him from wrestling.[85] On December 14 atFinal Battle 2013, Cole successfully defended the ROH World Championship in a three-way match against Briscoe and Elgin, following outside interference from Matt Hardy,[86] with the two later forming a stable alongsideMike Bennett,Maria Kanellis and laterMatt Taven namedThe Kingdom. Post-match, Cole and Hardy were attacked by the returning Chris Hero,[86] which led to Cole's next title defense on February 21, 2014, at the12th Anniversary Show, where he defeated Hero.[87] A rematch between the two, contested underRingmaster's Challenge rules, took place on March 8 and saw Cole again retain the title.[88]
On April 4 atSupercard of Honor VIII, Cole defeated Jay Briscoe in a ladder match to become the undisputed ROH World Champion, retaining his title and taking over Briscoe's unrecognized "Real World Title" and later giving it to Matt Hardy who renamed it the “ROH Iconic Championship”.[89] In May 2014, Cole took part in a tour co-produced by ROH andNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), during which he made two more successful title defenses; first against Kevin Steen atGlobal Wars on May 10 and then against NJPW'sJyushin Thunder Liger atWar of the Worlds on May 17.[90][91] The following month, Cole retained the championship againstA. C. H. and Tommaso Ciamapa.[92][93] On June 22 atBest in the World 2014, Cole lost the ROH World Championship to Michael Elgin, ending his reign at 275 days.[94] Through ROH's relationship with NJPW, Cole made his Japanese debut on August 10, inTokorozawa, Saitama, teaming with Kingdom stablemate Michael Bennett to defeatCaptain New Japan and Jyushin Thunder Liger in a tag team match.[95] On November 8, Cole won the2014 Survival of the Fittest.[96] On December 7 atFinal Battle 2014, Cole unsuccessfully challenged Jay Briscoe for the ROH World Championship in aFight Without Honor.[97] The following week, Cole announced he had suffered a shoulder injury, which required surgery.[98]
Cole returned from his injury on May 12, 2015, atWar of the Worlds '15, losing toA.J. Styles.[99] Cole then began having problems with his Kingdom stablemates and started teasing a reunion with his Future Shock tag team partner Kyle O'Reilly. However, on September 18 atAll Star Extravaganza VII, Cole turned on O'Reilly during his match for the ROH World Championship and reunited with the rest of the Kingdom, becoming a heel once again.[100]
On May 8, 2016, atGlobal Wars, Cole joined Bullet Club, helping the stable take over the ring in a show-closing angle.[101] On June 16, atBest in the World, Cole teamed up withThe Young Bucks and formedThe Superkliq to defeat War Machine and Moose. On August 19 atDeath Before Dishonor XIV, Cole defeated Jay Lethal to win the ROH World Championship for the second time, becoming the third man to regain the championship.[102] Afterwards, Cole's victory celebration was abruptly ended when he was laid out by a returning Kyle O'Reilly.[103] Cole returned to NJPW on September 22, representing Bullet Club and successfully defending the ROH World Championship againstWill Ospreay atDestruction in Hiroshima.[104] Three days later atDestruction in Kobe, Cole and The Young Bucks were defeated by David Finlay, Ricochet andSatoshi Kojima in a match for the vacantNEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship.[105] On December 2 atFinal Battle, he lost the ROH World Championship to O'Reilly.[106] Cole regained the title from O'Reilly on January 4, 2017, at NJPW'sWrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, thus making Cole the first three-time ROH World Champion.[107] On March 10 at the15th Anniversary Show, Cole lost the ROH World Championship toChristopher Daniels, when Bullet Club's newest member and Daniels' longtime tag team partnerFrankie Kazarian turned on him.[108] In early 2017, Cole began showing tension with Bullet Club stablemateKenny Omega withThe Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) caught in the middle.[109] The storyline led to an angle on March 11, where Cole tried to fire The Young Bucks from Bullet Club, but the two responded by stating that Omega, not Cole, was the leader of the stable.[110] Despite the dissension, Cole remained a member of Bullet Club.[111] On May 1, it was reported that Cole's ROH contract had expired and he was now a free agent.[112] On May 12, during the third night of theWar of the Worlds tour, Cole was defeated by NJPW'sHiroshi Tanahashi in a singles match. After the match, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks turned on Cole and kicked him out of Bullet Club, giving his spot in the stable toMarty Scurll.[113] Two days later, Cole was defeated by Scurll in his ROH farewell match, a Philadelphia Street Fight.[114]
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2011–2017)
Cole made his debut inPro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) on October 22, 2011, alongside regular tag team partner O'Reilly as Future Shock, unsuccessfully challenging The Young Bucks for thePWG World Tag Team Championship.[115][116] Future Shock were defeated by the RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime and Johnny Yuma), atFear on December 10.[117] On April 21, 2012, Future Shock entered the annualDynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament (DDT4), where they made it to the semifinals, before losing to the eventual tournament winners,Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno andStupefied).[118] On July 21 at PWG's ninth anniversary event, Future Shock unsuccessfully challenged the Super Smash Bros. for the PWG World Tag Team Championship in a three-way ladder match, which also included The Young Bucks.[119] On September 1, Cole entered the2012 Battle of Los Angeles, now working under his "Panama City Playboy" heel persona.[120] After upsettingEl Generico in his first round match, Cole advanced to the following day's quarterfinals, where he defeated Eddie Edwards.[121][122] After a win over Sami Callihan in the semifinals, Cole defeated Michael Elgin in the finals to win the 2012 Battle of Los Angeles and become the number one contender to thePWG World Championship.[122] Following his win, Cole attacked the reigning champion, Kevin Steen, and left with his title belt.[122]
On December 1, Cole defeated Steen in aGuerrilla Warfare match to become the new PWG World Champion.[123][124] On January 12, 2013, Cole reunited with Kyle O'Reilly to enter the2013 Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament. After defeating the Dojo Bros (Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong) in their first round match, Future Shock was eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by El Generico and Kevin Steen.[125] On March 23, Cole made his first successful defense of the PWG World Championship againstDrake Younger, and followed it with another retention against longtime rival, theWWE bound Sami Callihan six falls to five in a 60-minuteIron Man match on June 16.[126][127][128] Two months later, at PWG's tenth anniversary event, Cole successfully retained his title in a three-way Guerrilla Warfare match against Drake Younger and Kevin Steen.[129] On August 31, Cole formed a new heelstable named the "Mount Rushmore of Wrestling" with Kevin Steen and The Young Bucks, when the four attacked2013 Battle of Los Angeles winner Kyle O'Reilly,Candice LeRae,Joey Ryan and referee Rick Knox.[130][131] On October 19, Cole defeated O'Reilly, with help from his new stablemates, and on December 20 and 21 defeated Chris Hero and Johnny Gargano, respectively, to make his fourth, fifth and sixth successful defenses of the PWG World Championship.[132][133][134] On January 31, 2014, the 426th day of his title reign, Cole became the longest reigning PWG World Champion. Cole continued his reign on March 28, successfully defending the title against female wrestler Candice LeRae.[135] Cole's record-setting reign ended on May 23, 2014, when he lost the title to Kyle O'Reilly in a "Knockout or Submission Only" match.[136]
On December 11, 2015, Cole made a surprise return to PWG, joining Roderick Strong,Super Dragon and The Young Bucks as the newest member of Mount Rushmore 2.0.[137] On May 19, 2017, Cole had his farewell match in PWG, where he was defeated by Sami Callihan.[138]
Before signing toWWE, Jenkins worked with the company twice. First on the July 2, 2010, episode ofSmackDown where he played a man at a bar drinking withSerena Deeb in a Straight Edge Society segment, after WWE had offered him a tryout meant for Austin Watson (Xavier Woods) and as an apology, offered him a spot as an extra.[139] The second was the first weekend of February 2013, where Jenkins took part in a tryout at theirPerformance Center in Florida.[140]
Following weeks of attacking other teams, The Undisputed Era was put in aWarGames match atNXT TakeOver: WarGames againstSanity (Alexander Wolfe,Eric Young, andKillian Dain) and the team ofThe Authors of Pain (Akam andRezar) andRoderick Strong.[146][147] At NXT TakeOver: WarGames on November 18, The Undisputed Era won after Cole pinned Young.[148] On the December 12, Cole was defeated byAleister Black in a qualifying match for a fatal-four-way number one contender's match for the NXT Championship, which also involved Johnny Gargano, Killian Dain, andLars Sullivan on the December 27 episode ofNXT, where Cole and the Undisputed Era interfered and cost Black the match. This led to Cole facing Black atNXT TakeOver: Philadelphia on January 27, 2018, in anExtreme Rules match. At the event, Cole was defeated by Black, despite interference from Fish and O'Reilly.[149]
On the March 20, 2019, episode ofNXT, Cole defeated Velveteen Dream, Ricochet, Black andMatt Riddle in a Fatal 5-Way match for the right to faceJohnny Gargano for the vacant NXT Championship.[155] AtNXT TakeOver: New York on April 5, Cole was defeated 2–1 by Gargano in atwo-out-of-three falls match.[156] However, atNXT TakeOver: XXV, Cole defeated Gargano in a rematch to win the championship for the first time.[157] He successfully defended the title against Gargano in a two-out-of-three falls atNXT TakeOver: Toronto on August 10.[158]
In October, Cole and The Undisputed Era began a feud with the returningTommaso Ciampa.[159] On the November 1 episode ofSmackDown, Cole was one of the many members of theNXT roster to invadeSmackDown under the orders ofTriple H.[160] On the November 4 edition ofRAW, Cole defended the NXT Championship against RAW superstarSeth Rollins; Rollins won by disqualification when The Undisputed Era attacked him, setting off a brawl between RAW and NXT; Cole thus retained the championship.[161] AtNXT TakeOver: WarGames on November 23, The Undisputed Era were defeated by Team Ciampa (Ciampa,Keith Lee,Dominik Dijakovic, andKevin Owens) in a WarGames match.[162] The following night atSurvivor Series, Cole retained the NXT Championship againstPete Dunne.[163] In the build-up for theNXT andNXT UK co-branded pay-per-view,Worlds Collide, The Undisputed Era began feuding with Imperium (WWE United Kingdom ChampionWalter,Alexander Wolfe,Fabian Aichner andMarcel Barthel), which was further intensified during the closing moments ofNXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II on January 12, 2020, where the group attacked Imperium following Walter's successful title defense againstJoe Coffey.[164][165] At Worlds Collide, Imperium defeated The Undisputed Era despite being outnumbered 4-3 after Wolfe suffered an injury early in the match.[166] AtNXT TakeOver: Portland on February 16, Cole successfully retained his title against Tommaso Ciampa.[167][168] On March 19, Cole became the longest reigning NXT Champion, breakingFinn Bálor's previous record of 292 days,[169] and would surpass the one-year mark as champion on June 1 of that year.[170] AtTakeOver: In Your House on June 7, Cole retained the championship against Velveteen Dream in aBacklot Brawl.[171] However, during the second night ofThe Great American Bash on July 8, Cole lost the NXT Championship to NXT North American Champion Keith Lee in aWinner Takes All match, ending Cole's record-breaking reign at 403 days.[172]
Implosion of The Undisputed Era and departure (2020–2021)
After losing the NXT Championship, Cole slowly turnedface as he began a rivalry with announcerPat McAfee, after the two got into an argument on McAfee's talk show and McAfee punted Cole in the head on the August 5 episode ofNXT.[173] This led to a match between the two being set up forNXT TakeOver XXX,[174] which Cole won.[175] Cole cemented his face turn on the September 30 episode ofNXT after calling outAustin Theory, who had insulted Kyle O'Reilly earlier in the night during a backstage promo. Cole and the other members of The Undisputed Era would go on to feud withThe Kings of NXT (McAfee,Pete Dunne,Danny Burch, andOney Lorcan). Over the next few weeks onNXT, McAfee mocked The Undisputed Era until they returned on the November 18 episode ofNXT. General Manager of NXT,William Regal, announced that both teams would face each other atNXT Takeover: WarGames. At the event, The Undisputed Era defeated Team McAfee.[176] Heading into 2021, Cole and Roderick Strong announced their participation in theMen's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. On the January 13, 2021, episode ofNXT, they faced Breezango (Fandango andTyler Breeze) in the first round and were victorious. On the February 3 episode ofNXT, Cole and Strong were eliminated from the tournament after being defeated by the team ofTommaso Ciampa andTimothy Thatcher in the quarterfinals.[177]
AtNXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day, The Undisputed Era assisted Finn Bálor after he was attacked by The Kings of NXT. As The Undisputed Era and Bálor posed together, Cole suddenlysuperkicked Bálor and then turn on stablemateKyle O'Reilly, subsequently turning heel in the process.[178] On the February 17 episode ofNXT, Cole attacked O'Reilly during the latter's six man tag team match against The Kings of NXT. After Dunne's team picked up the win, Cole delivered a superkick to Bálor and raised theNXT Championship in the air.[179] On the February 24 episode ofNXT, Cole apologized for what he did to O'Reilly before Strong interrupted Cole. Bálor then came out and attacked Cole and Strong until Cole hit a superkick on Bálor. After crying and apologizing profusely to Strong, Cole then delivered a low blow to Strong and proclaimed himself as The Undisputed Era.[180] On the March 3 episode ofNXT, Bálor challenged Cole to for the NXT Championship the following week, which Cole accepted.[181] The following week onNXT, Cole was defeated by Bálor after O'Reilly distracted him, and was viciously assaulted afterwards, ending with O'Reilly ripping off Cole's Undisputed Era armband, officially kicking Cole off the group.[182] On the March 24 episode ofNXT, after many heated encounters between Cole and O'Reilly, they officially signed a contract for theirunsanctioned match on Night 2 ofNXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.[183] At the event, Cole lost to O'Reilly.[184]
On the June 1 episode ofNXT, Cole returned and took out O'Reilly, Dunne and Johnny Gargano in a triple threat match to determineKarrion Kross' opponent for the NXT Championship atNXT TakeOver: In Your House. Later that night, Cole and Kross confronted each which led to a match being made at NXT TakeOver: In Your House where Kross defended his title against Cole, O'Reilly, Gargano and Dunne.[185] At the event, Cole was unsuccessful in winning the NXT Championship.[186] After failing to win back the championship, Cole reignited his feud with O'Reilly. A rematch between the two was made forThe Great American Bash,[187] where Cole defeated O'Reilly.[188] On the August 10 episode ofNXT, it was announced that Cole and O'Reilly would face each other in atwo out of three falls match atNXT TakeOver 36.[189][190] At the event, O'Reilly defeated Cole.[191] This was Cole's final match and appearance in NXT,[192] as his WWE contract expired.[193]
According toDave Meltzer shortly after Jenkins signed withAll Elite Wrestling that if he had stayed with the WWE, he would have been promoted to the main roster but as a manager for a heel-turnedKeith Lee on theRaw brand. Additionally, Jenkins would have received a haircut and he would have also received a name change to avoid confusion with longtime announcerMichael Cole; the decision reportedly came directly fromVince McMahon andBruce Prichard.[194][195] This idea was later ridiculed and parodied in AEW, withJohn Silver ofThe Dark Order facetiously offering to "let" Adam Cole be his manager if Jenkins would agree to change his name and cut his hair. Lee himself would be released by WWE three months after Jenkins' departure and joined AEW months later.
On September 5, 2021, Cole made his surprise debut forAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) at the promotion'sAll Outpay-per-view, following the main event match by reuniting with formerBullet Club stablematesKenny Omega andThe Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson), as well as joining their stable,The Elite, establishing himself as a heel in the process.[196] In a post-All Out news conference, Cole stated that his decision to sign with AEW was "fairly easy", as he wanted to work with everyone at AEW "24/7" as well as being able to have full access to hisTwitch stream, something that WWE would have restricted had he been promoted to the main roster.[197] The decision also allowed him to work with real-life girlfriendBritt Baker, which was immediately acknowledged on hisAEW Dynamite debut later that week when he threatened to beat up announcerTony Schiavone over the latter's friendship with Baker.[198] The following week onAEW Dynamite, Cole made his in-ring debut, defeatingFrankie Kazarian.[199] AtAEW Grand Slam onRampage, Cole would team with The Young Bucks to defeat the team ofChristian Cage,Jungle Boy andLuchasaurus.[200] AtFull Gear, Cole along with The Young Bucks would be defeated by Christian Cage, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus in afalls count anywhere match.[201]
In November, Cole, alongside The Young Bucks andBobby Fish, began a feud withOrange Cassidy andBest Friends. On theHoliday Bash special episode ofDynamite on December 22, Cole defeated Cassidy after an interference from the debutingKyle O'Reilly, reuniting with Cole and Fish.[202] The following week onNew Year's Smash edition ofDynamite, they defeated Orange Cassidy and Best Friends.[203] On the January 19 episode ofDynamite, Cole andBritt Baker defeated Cassidy andKris Statlander in a mixed tag team match, scoring another victory on Cassidy. The following week, at the Beach Break special episode ofDynamite on January 26, Cassidy defeated Cole in aLights Out that involved appearances from Best Friends, The Young Bucks, Bobby Fish andDanhausen. On the February 16 edition ofDynamite, Cole confronted AEW World Champion"Hangman" Adam Page, after the latter's title match againstLance Archer. The following week, Cole challenged Page to a title match atRevolution, a match he would lose.[204] Cole would receive a rematch against Page for the title on the April 15 episode ofRampage in aTexas Deathmatch, which Cole would once again lose.[205]
On the June 8 edition ofDynamite, Cole interrupted "Hangman" Adam Page after Page called outIWGP World Heavyweight Champion,Kazuchika Okada and had challenged him to a match for hisIWGP World Heavyweight Champion atAEW×NJPW: Forbidden Door. Cole deemed Page unworthy to face for the World Championship, whilst also stating that Okada may not be Champion by Forbidden Door, due to his title defense against Cole's ally,Jay White atDominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall. After White won the World Championship at the event, Page was set to address the situation on the specialRoad Rager episode ofDynamite on June 15, however Cole once again interrupted Page, stating his own challenge for the Championship. This led to White attacking Page from behind with aBladerunner. After this, White refused to defend his title against Page at Forbidden Door, much to Cole's delight, although White also refused to defend the title against Cole at the event, much to Cole's dismay.[210] On the June 22 edition ofDynamite, Cole once again interrupted Page, only to be interrupted himself by White, who refused to defend his title against Cole, due to his two losses to Page in AEW. White and Cole then attacked Page, only forKazuchika Okada to debut in AEW and save Page.[211] Soon after, afour-way match between Cole, Page, White and Okada, for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship was announced for Forbidden Door. At the event, White retained the World Championship.[212] Cole suffered a severe concussion during the match leading to the match being cut short, and rendering Cole unable to compete for an unspecified amount of time.[213]
Cole returned to AEW on the August 3 episode ofRampage, where he, Fish and O'Reilly would turn on and attack The Young Bucks, splitting from The Elite.[214] Following this, Cole would remain absent from AEW programming for the rest of the year, recovering from his concussion.[215]
Better Than You Bay Bay and Undisputed Kingdom (2023–present)
Cole made his surprise return on the January 11, 2023, episode ofDynamite as aface.[216] His feud after his return was againstChris Jericho, including the debut of his teammateRoderick Strong to face Jericho's stable Jericho's Apprecitation Society.[217] Cole defeated Jericho twice, once atDouble or Nothing in an unsanctioned matchSabu, as the special guest enforcer,[218] and in a mixed tag team match where Cole and Britt Baker defeated Jericho and Saraya.[219]
Adam Cole (back) andMJF (front) atAll In in August 2023.
In June, Cole began a storyline with AEW World ChampionMJF.[220] Cole and MJF faced each other in a world title eliminator match, but the match ended on a time limit draw.[221] They were paired on theBlind Eliminator Tournament,[222] defeating Daniel Garcia andSammy Guevara in the tournament finals to win the tournament and earn anAEW World Tag Team Championship match againstFTR.[223] The title match took place on the July 29 episode ofCollision, where Cole and MJF lost.[224] Despite the loss, they continued to work as a tag team. AtAll In, they defeatedAussie Open to win theROH World Tag Team Championship[225] and Cole lost to MJF in the main event of the event, retaining the title.[226] On the September 20 edition ofDynamite, Cole suffered a major ankle injury after jumping off the entrance ramp during MJF's match with Samoa Joe in the main event. In a 2024 interview withSports Illustrated, Cole revealed that his injury was so severe, he had to receive acadaver bone donation for his ankle.[227] Regardless, AEW continued to sporadically feature Cole as part of their programming.[228][229] On December 30, 2023 atWorlds End, Cole revealed himself as The Devil along with The Devil's Masked Men (Matt Taven,Mike Bennett, Roderick Strong andWardlow), turning heel once again and formingUndisputed Kingdom.[230] On May 26, 2024, atDouble or Nothing, Cole made an appearance, where he would be interrupted and attacked by a returning MJF.[231]
Cole (now once again as a face) made his on-screen return to AEW atWrestleDream on October 12, where he chased off MJF (who was now a heel) from attacking Daniel Garcia.[232] On the October 23 episode ofDynamite, MJF made a deal with both Cole and Strong, stating that whoever won three matches in a row first would get a match against him atFull Gear on November 23.[233] On October 30 atFright Night Dynamite, Cole defeatedBuddy Matthews in his first match since September 2023.[234] The following week onDynamite, he defeated Matthews'House of Black stablemateMalakai Black.[235] On the November 13 episode ofDynamite, Cole would lose toKonosuke Takeshita and as a result would not be able to face MJF at Full Gear.[236] On December 11 atWinter is Coming, Cole defeated Kyle O'Reilly to earn the right to challenge MJF for hisDynamite Diamond Ring atWorlds End on December 28.[237] At Worlds End, Cole was defeated by MJF, ending their feud. After the match, Strong and O'Reilly helped Cole fend off an MJF post-match attack, with O'Reilly subsequently joining Undisputed Kingdom.[238]
Jenkins was in a relationship with fellow professional wrestlerBritt Baker.[243][244] The two started dating in 2017 while they were living in Pennsylvania, having previously met using theBumble app.[245][246] In October 2024, Jenkins confirmed in an interview withSports Illustrated that he and Baker were no longer together, but remain friends.[247]
Rivalry of the Year (2019, 2020)vs. Johnny Gargano,[280]vs. Pat McAfee
Tag Team of the Year (2020) – with Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly
Bumpy Award (1 time)
Rivalry of the Half-Year (2021) – vs Kyle O'Reilly[281]
Footnotes
^Cole became recognized as the World Wrestling League Heavyweight Champion due to title name change in October 2012.
^Fish and O'Reilly originally won the title as a duo, but Cole andRoderick Strong also became recognized as champions under theFreebird Rule after Fish suffered an injury.
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