Adam Cole

At 35 years old, Adam Cole has this physical status:

Austin Jenkins (born July 5, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Adam Cole.

He is the leader of The Undisputed Era (alongside Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, and Roderick Strong).

He is the current NXT Champion in his first reign. Cole was the inaugural NXT North American Champion and the co-winner of the 2018 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with Kyle O'Reilly; he was also recognized as NXT Tag Team Champion with Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly, with WWE recognizing him at the time as the first ever double champion in NXT history.

After winning the NXT Championship, Cole became the second NXT Triple Crown Champion (after Johnny Gargano). Cole is also known for his tenure with Ring of Honor (ROH) where he became a three-time ROH World Champion and was the first wrestler to achieve this feat.

In addition, he is a one-time ROH World Television Champion.

Cole has also wrestled for several independent promotions, including Chikara, Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), where he was a one-time and the longest-reigning CZW World Junior Heavyweight Champion, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), where he was a one-time PWG World Champion, holding the record for the longest reign in the title's history.

He is also known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) where he was part of the Bullet Club stable.

Early life

Austin Jenkins was born on July 5, 1989, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He has a younger brother. His parents separated when he was 10 years old. Jenkins took karate lessons as a child.

Personal life

Jenkins is in a relationship with fellow AEW professional wrestler and dentist Britt Baker. The two started dating in 2017 while they were living in Pennsylvania, having previously met using the Bumble app.

Jenkins cites Shawn Michaels as his inspiration and Stone Cold Steve Austin as the wrestler who got him into professional wrestling. He enjoys scuba diving.

Source

Professional wrestling career

Jenkins was educated at the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy (CZW) Wrestling Academy by D. J. Hyde and Jon Dahmer. On November 14, 2007, he became an official student at the Academy, although he was still a senior in high school. On June 21, 2008, Adam Cole made his CZW debut as Adam Cole when he joined No Pun Intended in a loss to GNC (Joe Gacy and Alex Colon). He was on display at the Chri$ Ca$h Memorial Show on September 13, when he defeated Tyler Veritas in a CZW Wrestling Academy showcase match. Cole then began to feud with GNC, losing to them in many matches against new adversaries, including GNC and EMO over Cole, L.J. On October 11, Cruz and HDTV face off in a six-man tag team match. Greed, GNC defeated Cole and HDTV in a regular tag team match at Night of Infamy 7: Greed, GNC defeated Cole and HDTV in a regular tag team match. Cole won his first match over GNC at Cage of Death 10: Ultraviolent Anniversary (December 13, when he, Veritas, and Cruz defeated GNC and EMO in a six-man tag team match.

Cole teamed regularly with Tyler Veritas in 2009 and won a tag team gauntlet competition, outlasting the teams of The S.A.T., L.J. Cruz and Izzy Kensington, 2.0, All Money Is Legal, and GNC at X: The Decade of Destruction – the 10th Anniversary of Destruction – was celebrated in February. They won a four-way match against Jagged and Cole Calloway, GNC, and Team AnDrew on March 4, plus Andy Sumner and Drew Gulak) at the following show in March. Cole returned to A Tangled Web 2 on August 8, where he and Veritas won another four-way match against BLKOUT, Team Mackie (TJ Mack and Kirby Mack), and The Spanish Armada (Alex Colon and L.J. Cruz: Cruz (British) vs. Cruz. Cole and Veritas competed for The Best Around (Bruce Maxwell and TJ Cannon) for the CZW World Tag Team Championship on September 13, but were dissatisfied. Cole and Veritas began focusing on singles competition in the tournament to crown the inaugural CZW Wired TV Champion, with Cole defeating Alex Colon and Rich Swann en route to the final at Cage of Death 11, where he lost to Veritas.

Cole defeated Sabian to a 15-minute time limit draw at Walking on Pins and Needles in March 2010. Cole began competing for the CZW Junior Heavyweight Championship in 2010, and Swinging for the Fences on April 10 defeated defending champion Sabian in a match that resulted in a 20-minute time-limit draw. Cole defeated Sabian and Ruckus in a three-way match at Fist Fight on May 8, 2010, defeating defending champion Sabian and Ruckus. Cole successfully defended the title against Ryan Slater in both June and August and Blk Jeez in September. Cole turned into a heel (villainous character) when attacking long-time tag team partner Veritas and defending the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship against A. R. Fox later that night. Cole played in Germany against Zack Sabre Jr. in November and retained the championship against Zack Sabre Jr. Cole earned Mia Yim as a boss in December, and she helped him maintain the Junior Heavyweight Championship in two separate matches at Cage of Death XII.

Cole qualified for the Best of the Best X tournament in February 2011 by defeating Pinkie Sanchez. Cole qualified for the final of the tournament on April 9 at Best of the Best X by defeating Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly in the first round and Sabre in the semi-finals and Final, then winning the Best of the Best X tournament by beating Sami Callihan. Cole then formed an association with his coach, D. J. Hyde, with Hyde aiding Cole in the battle against Fox in May. Jonatham Gresham, Chuck Taylor, and AJ Curcio all received further title defenses throughout the year. Cole lost the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship to Callihan on November 12, despite both Hyde and Yim intervening on his behalf, bringing an end to his reign at 553 days, the longest streak in the championship's history.

Cole unsuccessfully challenged Devon Moore for the CZW World Heavyweight Championship at An Excellent Adventure in January 2012. Cole's relationship with Hyde came to an end as the company announced a new protégé in Tony Nese, whom Cole lost in a match. Cole and Hyde briefly feuded in May, with Hyde attacking Cole in May and Cole attacking Hyde the following month. Cole continued to feud with Sami Callihan in November 2012, saying that he would always be regarded as a better wrestler than Callihan. Cole defeated Callihan in a No Hold Barred match at Cage of Death 14: Shattered Dreams on December 8, Cole defeated Callihan in a No Hold Barred match. Cole defeated Callihan in what was described as the "last match" between the long-running rivals on April 13, 2013.

Carelle defeated Qenann Creed to win the MCW Rage Television Championship on August 7, 2009. He dominated the tournament for more than four months before losing it to Ryan McBride on December 26. Adam Cole, who changed his ring name to McBride, regained the championship from McBride two months later on February 27, 2010. Cole held the championship until July 31, when Cobian and Tommy Dreamer defeated him, ensuring Cobian triumphed.

Cole won the WXW C4's Hybrid Championship in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on November 7, 2009. He lost the championship to Dave Rose on March 6, 2010, after a five-month reign.

Cole defeated four opponents (D. J. Hyde, Ryan McBride, "Mighty" Quinn Nash and Eric Enders) on November 20 and 21, 2009, beating Ground Breaking Wrestling's 1st annual 16-man Battle of Gettysburg tournament. Cole won a title over champion Greg Excellent in April 2010, but he lost.

Cole debuted at Evolve 3 in 2010, making his debut match for the promotion on May 1: Rise or Fall, Cole lost to Sami Callihan. Cole won and lost at Evolve 4, defeating Johnny Gargano to raise his record to one win and one loss. Jimmy Jacobs was upended after winning, so he challenged him to a match at the next show. Danielson vs. Sawa, Cole lost to Jacobs at Evolve 5.

Cole appeared on Dragon Gate USA's (DGUSA) Open the Freedom Gate pay-per-view television on November 28, 2009, where he defeated Kyle O'Reilly in a losing fight. Cole competed in a four-way match against Chuck Taylor, Arik Cannon, and Ricochet, which was won by Taylor on July 24, 2010.

Cole appeared at the Young Lions Cup tournament in Chikara on August 28, 2010. Kyle O'Reilly was defeated in the quarterfinals by Obariyon, but Obariyon had to withdraw from the semi-final six-man elimination tournament.

Cole competed in the 2011 East Coast Wrestling Association's 2011 Super 8 Tournament on April 30, 2011. On the way to the final, he defeated Sami Callihan and Austin Aries, where he lost to Tommaso Ciampa. He won the Premiere Wrestling Xperience's Heavyweight Championship on November 30, 2012. Cole retired in February 2013.

Cole made his Ring of Honor (ROH) debut on February 28, 2009, when he lost to John Kerman in a close match at the Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings. Cole appeared in a dark match against John Kerman and Corey Abbott at the Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings the night after. When the Dark City Fight Club (Kory Chavis and Jon Davis), the match participants were in a no contest. He appeared on the Ring of Honor Wrestling episode in July 26, 2010, alongside Nick Westgate in a loss to the Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli).

Cole had signed a deal with ROH on August 23, 2010. Cole was disqualified by Mike Bennett at the Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings on August 2. Cole began to ally himself with fellow ROH rookie Kyle O'Reilly, establishing a tag team. They defeated Grizzly Redwood and Mike Sydal's team at the Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings on October 2nd. They lost to Steve Corino and Kevin Steen on October 15, and The All Night Express (Kenny King and Rhett Titus) at a show on October 16. On the November 8 episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling, the Bravado Brothers (Harlem and Lance) defeated them. Cole was a participant in the 2010 version of the Survival of the Fittest tournament on November 12, 2010. In the first round, he defeated Steve Corino, but he was the second person disqualified from the final, a six-man elimination match. The Bravado Brothers were defeated by Cole and O'Reilly in Toronto the following night. Cole made his ROH pay-per-view debut on December 18, 2010, where he and O'Reilly were defeated by the All Night Express in Final Battle 2010. Cole and O'Reilly appeared in two losing efforts at Chapter One and Two of Honor Takes Center Stage on April 1 and 2, despite putting on good shows. Cole and O'Reilly defeated the Bravado Brothers in the ROH World Tag Team Championship on July 8, gaining a future shot at the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Cole re-signed with ROH on July 25, ROH revealed on July 25, as the promotion's administrator. Future Shock was announced at the tapings of Ring of Honor Wrestling's August 13 tag team.

Ring of Honor Wrestling, Future Shock disbanded, and Cole formed a new alliance with Eddie Edwards, opposite Kyle O'Reilly and Davey Richards, at the beginning of January 7, 2012. Cole and Edwards defeated O'Reilly and Richards in a major event tag team competition, with Cole pinning Richards, the reigning ROH World Champion, winning the match on March 4 at the 10th Anniversary Exhibition. Cole defeated O'Reilly in a "Hybrid Rules" match on June 24 at Best in the World 2012: Hostage Crisis. Cole attempted to make peace with his ex-girlfriend but it was turned down. Cole captured his first ROH title on June 29, 2012, defeating Roderick Strong to become the ROH World Television Champion in Baltimore, Maryland, at a taping of Ring of Honor Wrestling. Cole defended the title against Mike Mondo until being confronted by Matt Hardy at Death Before Dishonor X: State of Emergency, on September 15, Cole successfully defended the position against Mike Mondo. Glory By Honor XI: The Unbreakable Hope On October 13, Cole defended his title against Eddie Edwards at the following internet pay-per-view. Cole was defeated by Hardy in a non-title match on December 16, 2012, Doomsday. Cole lost the World Television Championship to Matt Taven on March 2, 2013, putting his reign to an end at 246 days. Cole unsuccessfully challenged Jay Briscoe for the ROH World Championship on May 4 in Border Wars 2013. Cole had re-signed with ROH on May 30, ROH announced that he had re-signed with the company.

Cole competed in a tournament to choose the next champion after the ROH World Championship was postponed, defeating Mark Briscoe in his first round match on July 27. Cole advanced to the semifinals of the tournament on August 3rd, defeating Jay Lethal. Cole first defeated Tommaso Ciampa in the semifinals and then Michael Elgin in the finals on September 20 at Death Before Dishonor XI. Cole retaliated against Briscoe and Elgin after being presented with the title belt by former champion Jay Briscoe, establishing himself as a villain. Cole sustained a concussion in early November, temporarily suspending him from wrestling. Cole defended the ROH World Championship in a three-way match against Briscoe and Elgin on December 14 despite outsider interference from Matt Hardy, with the two then forming a stable with Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis, and later Matt Taven, dubbed The Kingdom. Cole, Hardy, and Cole were all targeted by the returning Chris Hero, resulting in Cole's next title defense on February 21, 2014, where he defeated Hero. Cole retained the title after a rematch between the two teams, which was contested under Ringmaster's Challenge rules.

Cole defeated Jay Briscoe in a ladder battle on April 4 to become the undisputed ROH World Champion, taking over Briscoe's unrecognized "Real World Championship" and later giving it to Matt Hardy, who renamed it the "ROH Iconic Championship." Cole appeared on ROH and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) in May 2014, where he made two more successful title defenses, first against Kevin Steen at Global Wars on May 10 and then against Jyushin Thunder Liger at War of the Worlds on May 17. Cole retained the championship against A. C. H. and Tommaso Ciamapa the following month. Cole lost the ROH World Championship to Michael Elgin on June 22 in the World's Best in the World 2014, bringing an end to his reign at 275 days. Cole made his Japanese debut on August 10, in Tokorozawa, Saitama, defeating Captain New Japan and Jyushin Thunder Liger in a tag team match, ROH's relationship with NJPW. Cole took the 2014 Survival of the Fittest award on November 8. Cole unsuccessfully challenged Jay Briscoe for the ROH World Championship in a Fight Without Honor on December 7, 2014, in a Fight Without Honor final battle. Cole revealed he had suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery the following week.

Cole recovered from his injury at War of the Worlds '15, losing to A.J. Styles. Cole soon began having issues with his kingdom coworkers and began to foresee a reunion with his Future Shock tag team partner Kyle O'Reilly. Cole turned on O'Reilly during his ROH World Championship match on September 18 and reunited with the majority of the Kingdom, making him a heel once more.

Cole joined Bullet Club on May 8, 2016, assisting the stable in a show-closing position. Cole joined The Young Bucks and formed The Superkliq on June 16, beating War Machine and Moose at Best in the World. Cole won the ROH World Championship for the second time on August 19 in Death Before Dishonor XIV, becoming the third man to regain the ROH World Championship. Cole's triumph parade was abruptly ended when he was escorted by a returning Kyle O'Reilly. Cole descended on Hiroshima on September 22, reserving Bullet Club and winning the ROH World Championship against Will Ospreay at Destruction in Hiroshima. David Finlay, Ricochet, and Satoshi Kojima defeated the Young Bucks in a match for the vacant NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship three days later in Kobe, Cole and The Young Bucks. He lost the ROH World Championship to O'Reilly on December 2 in the Final Battle. Cole took the title from O'Reilly in Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2017, making Cole the first three-time ROH World Champion. Cole's newest member and Daniels' long-serving tag team partner Frankie Kazarian turned on Cole on March 10 at the 15th Anniversary Show. Cole started to be tense with Bullet Club stablemate Kenny Omega with The Young Bucks, who is trapped in the middle. Cole tried to fire The Young Bucks from Bullet Club on March 11, but the two replied by stating that Omega, not Cole, was the stable's leader. Cole remained a member of Bullet Club despite the crucifixion. Cole's ROH deal had come to an end, and he was now a free agent, according to the release. Cole was defeated in a singles match by NJPW's Hiroshi Tanahashi on May 12, during the third night of the War of the Worlds tour. Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks booed Cole and kicked him out of Bullet Club, effectively ending his time in the stable to Marty Scurll after the match. Cole was defeated by Scurll in his ROH farewell match, a Philadelphia Street Fight, two days later.

Cole, along with regular tag team partner O'Reilly, unsuccessfully challenging Future Shock for the PWG World Tag Team Championship on October 22, 2011. The RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime and Johnny Yuma) at Fear defeated Future Shock on December 10. Future Shock entered the annual Dynamite Tag Team Title Tournament (DDT4), where they made it to the semifinals before losing to the eventual tournament winners, Super Smash Bros, on April 21, 2012. Future Shock in a three-way ladder match that also included The Young Bucks, unsuccessfully challenged the Super Smash Bros. for PWG World Tag Team Championship on July 21 at PWG's ninth anniversary celebration. Cole appeared in the 2012 Battle of Los Angeles on September 1, 2012, and he now appears as "Panama City Playboy" heel Guya. Cole advanced to the quarterfinals on the following day after defeating El Generico in his first round match. Cole defeated Michael Elgin in the finals to win the 2012 Battle of Los Angeles, the top contender to the PWG World Championship, after winning over Sami Callihan in the semifinals. Cole beat Kevin Steen, the reigning champion, and was left with his title belt.

Cole defeated Steen in a Guerrilla Warfare match on December 1 to become the new PWG World Champion. Cole and Kyle O'Reilly were reunited on January 12, 2013 to compete in the 2013 Dynamite Dumvirate Tag Team Championship Tournament. Future Shock was barred from the tournament in the semifinals by El Generico and Kevin Steen after defeating the DojoBros (Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong) in their first round match. Cole's first successful defense of the PWG World Championship against Drake Younger on March 23, as well as another retaining against longtime adversary Sami Callihan six points to five in a 60-minute Iron Man match on June 16. Cole successfully defended his title in a three-way Guerrilla Warfare match against Drake Younger and Kevin Steen two months later, at PWG's tenth anniversary celebration. When the four attacked 2013 Battle of Los Angeles champion Kyle O'Reilly, Candice LeRae, Joey Ryan, and referee Rick Knox, Cole formed "The Mount Rushmore of Wrestling" with Kevin Steen and The Young Bucks on August 31, Cole formed "The Mount Rushmore of Wrestling." Cole defeated O'Reilly, assisted by his new stablemates, and defeated Chris Hero and Johnny Gargano respectively on December 20 and 21, respectively, for his fourth, fifth, and sixth successful defenses of the PWG World Championship. Cole made history by winning the PWG World Championship for the 426th day of his reign on January 31, 2014. Cole continued his reign on March 28, winning the crown against female wrestler Candice LeRae. Cole's record-breaking career came to an end on May 23, 2014, when he lost the title to Kyle O'Reilly in a "Knock out or Submission Only" match.

Cole made a surprise return to PWG on December 11, 2015, joining Roderick Strong, Super Dragon, and The Young Bucks as the new addition to Mount Rushmore 2.0. Cole lost in PWG on May 19, 2017 after being defeated by Sami Callihan.

Jenkins spent time with the company before signing to WWE. In a Straight Edge Society segment on July 2, 2010, he appeared as a man at a bar drinking Serena Deeb, and after WWE gave him a tryout meant for Austin Watson (Xavier Woods), he accepted him as an extra on a Saturday afternoon. Jenkins took part in a tryout at their Performance Center in Florida over the first weekend of February 2013.

Multiple sources confirmed that Jenkins had officially signed with WWE and will be located in the company's NXT developmental market. Cole made his NXT debut on August 19 at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III, blaming newly crowned NXT Champion Drew McIntyre, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O'Reilly for his role as a heel in the game. Cole, Fish, and O'Reilly's trio were officially named "The Undisputed Age" in the following month.

The Undisputed Age of NXT Takeover: WarGames against Sanity (Alexander Wolfe, Eric Young, and Killian Dain) and the team of The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) and Roderick Strong defeated other teams during weeks of fighting. Takeover: WarGames on November 18, Cole defeated Young after Cole pinned Young, who was defeated by NXT. Cole was defeated by Aleister Black in a qualifying match for a fatal-four-way number one contender's NXT Championship, which also featured Johnny Gargano, Killian Dain, and Lars Sullivan on the December 27 episode of NXT, where Cole and the Undisputed Age interfered and cost Black the match. Cole took on Black at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia on January 27, 2018, in an Extreme Rules match. Despite Fish and O'Reilly's interference, Cole was defeated by Black at the tournament.

Cole appeared on the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 28, his first appearance on the main roster. He was killed by a returning Rey Mysterio. Cole won the inaugural NXT North American Champion in New Orleans on April 7, 2018, in a ladder match, and later in the night he won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic as well as defended the NXT Tag Team Championship in a triple threat Winner Take All match with Kyle O'Reilly. Cole defeated Oney Lorcan in his first title defense after being bombarded by The Undisputed Age. Cole lost the NXT North American Championship to Ricochet, snaping his reign to 133 days. Cole failed to recover the NXT North American Championship in a triple threat match that also included Pete Dunne on Monday's episode. Takeover at NXT: In a WarGames match, the WarGames, Ricochet, Dunne, and War Raiders defeated The Undisputed Age in the WarGames. Cole appeared at the WWE World Collide Festival. He defeated Shane Thorne and Keith Lee in the first round and Keith Lee in the quarterfinals before losing to Tyler Bate in the semifinals. Ricochet, Aleister Black, and Velveteen Dream defeated Cole, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa during halftime of Super Bowl LIII.

Cole defeated Velveteen Dream, Ricochet, Black, and Matt Riddle in a Fatal 5-Way match for the right to face Johnny Gargano in the vacant NXT Championship on March 20, 2019. Cole was defeated 2-1 by Gargano in a two-out-three falls match at NXT Takeover: New York on April 5, 2008. Cole won the championship for the first time in NXT Takeover: XXV. In a two-out-of-three falls at NXT Takeover: Toronto on August 10, he successfully defended the title against Gargano.

Cole and The Undisputed Age began in October, igniting Tommaso Ciampa. Cole was one of the many members of RAW's Undisputed Age to invade SmackDown under Triple H's orders on November 1; Rollins prevailed by disqualification, triggering a brawl between RAW and NXT; Cole retained the championship. In a WarGames match, the Undisputed Age of the WarGames was defeated by Team Ciampa (Ciampa, Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic, and Kevin Owens). Cole retained the NXT Championship against Pete Dunne the following night at Survivor Series. Worlds Collide, the Undisputed Age of WWE began feuding with Imperium (WWE Undisputed Age champion Walter Walter Walter, Alexander Wolfe, Fabian Aichner, and Marcel Barthel), which escalated during the NXT's final moments against Joe Coffey in the build-up for the NXT and NXT's co-branded pay-per-view, beginning in the late stages of NXT UK Takeover: The Undisputed Age (WPE XVa Imperium defeated The Undisputed Age at Worlds Collide, despite being outnumbered 4-3 after Wolfe sustained a serious injury early in the game. Cole retained his title against Tommaso Ciampa in an NXT Takeover: Portland on February 16, 2013. Cole became the longest-serving NXT champion, breaking Finn Bálor's record of 292 days, and breaking Finn Bálor's previous record of 292 days, and he'll reach the one-year mark as champion on June 1st. Cole retained the championship against Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl at Takeover: Cole at Takeover: In Your House on June 7, Cole retained the title against Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl. Cole lost the NXT Championship to NXT North American Champion Keith Lee in a Winner Takes All match on July 8, bringing an end to Cole's record-breaking reign at 403 days.

Cole slowly turned face as he began a feud with announcer Pat McAfee after the two became involved in a tumultuous discussion over McAfee's talk show, and McAfee punted Cole in the head on the NXT episode on August 5th. Cole won a match involving the two teams that was supposed to be NXT TakeOver XXX. Cole called out Austin Theory, who had insulted Kyle O'Reilly earlier in the night during a backstage preview, and he reacted angrily on the NXT episode on September 30. Cole and the other members of The Undisputed Age will feud with The Kings of NXT (McAfee, Pete Dunne, Danny Burch, and Oney Lorcan). McAfee mocked The Undisputed Age for the next few weeks on NXT until they returned on November 18 episode of NXT. At NXT Takeover: WarGames, the General Manager of NXT, William Regal, declared that the two teams would face each other. The Undisputed Age of Team McAfee was beaten at the tournament. Cole and Roderick Strong have confirmed their participation in the Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, which will go into 2021. They met Breezango (Fandango and Tyler Breeze) in the first round of NXT on January 13, 2021, and were victorious. Cole and Strong were dropped from the tournament after being defeated by Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher's team in the quarterfinals on February 3rd.

On NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day, Finn Bálor was aided by the Kings of NXT as he was assaulted by The Kings of NXT. Cole instantly kicked Bálor and then turned on stablemate Kyle O'Reilly, who later turned away in the process. Cole was beaten O'Reilly during the former's six man tag team match against The Kings of NXT on February 17 on NXT's February 17 episode. Cole delivered a superkick to Bálor, boosting the NXT Championship on the air after Dunne's team picked up the win. Cole apologised for what he did to O'Reilly on NXT's February 24 episode before Strong interrupted Cole. Cole and Strong were then assaulted by Bálor, who then came out and slammed Cole and Strong until Cole scored a superkick on Bálor. Cole began weeping and apologizing profusely to Strong before handing over Strong a small blow and describing him as the Undisputed Age. Bálor challenged Cole to the NXT Championship the following week, which Cole accepted on. Cole was humiliated by Bálor after O'Reilly distracted him, and he was viciously assaulted after, with O'Reilly ripping off Cole's Undisputed Era armband, effectively dropping Cole from the team, much as O'Reilly was kicking Cole off the team. Cole and O'Reilly's tense encounters on NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver on March 24; Cole and O'Reilly's second match since being arrested on NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver. Cole lost to O'Reilly at the event.

Cole returned and defeated O'Reilly, Dunne, and Johnny Gargano in a three-star battle on June 1st at NXT Takeover: In Your House, the NXT champion battle determines Karrion Kross' opponent for the NXT Championship. Cole and Kross fought each other later that night, resulting in a match being called at NXT Takeover: Kross defended his title against Cole, O'Reilly, Gargano, and Dunne. Cole was disqualified from winning the NXT Championship at the time. Cole revived his rivalry with O'Reilly after losing the championship for the second time. Cole defeated O'Reilly in a rematch between the two teams for The Great American Bash, where Cole defeated O'Reilly. Cole and O'Reilly would face each other in a 2-out-of-3 falls match at NXT TakeOver 36 on August 11 in NXT TakeOver 36. O'Reilly defeated Cole at the event, beating him by a landslide. Cole's last match and appearance in NXT came as his WWE deal came to an end.

Cole made his All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut on September 5, 2021, following the main event match between the Bullet Club's All Out pay-per-view's Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks' Kenny Omega, as well as joining their stable, The Elite, establishing himself as a heel in the process. Cole said in a post-All Out news conference that signing with AEW was "fairly straightforward," as he wanted to work with everyone at AEW "24/7" as well as having full access to his Twitch channel, something that WWE would have banned if he had been promoted to the main roster. In addition, the decision enabled him to work with real-life partner Britt Baker, which was immediately revealed on his AEW Dynamite debut later this week when he threatened to beat up announcer Tony Schiavone over Baker's friendship with him. Cole made his in-ring debut over Frankie Kazarian earlier this week. Cole will compete with The Young Bucks in the AEW Grand Slam on Rampage against Christian Cage, Jungle Boy, and Luchasaurus. Cole and The Young Bucks will be defeated by Christian Cage, Jungle Boy, and Luchasaurus in a falls count no match.

Cole, alongside The Young Bucks and Bobby Fish, began a feud with Orange Cassidy and Best Friends in November. Cole defeated Cassidy thanks to an interference from debuting Kyle O'Reilly, reuniting with Cole and Fish on the Holiday Bash special episode of Dynamite. They defeated Orange Cassidy and Best Friends the following week in New Year's Smash version of Dynamite. Cole and Britt Baker defeated Cassidy and Statlander in a mixed tag team match on January 19, giving Cassidy and Kris Statlander their second victory on Cassidy. Cassidy defeated Cole in a Lights Out special episode of Dynamite on January 26, the following week, as the following week, Best Friends, The Young Bucks, Bobby Fish, and Danhausen appeared.

Cole met AEW World Champion "Hangman" Adam Page after the latter's title match against Lance Archer on February 19 of Dynamite. Cole faced Page in a title match at Revolution next week, which he would lose. Cole will face Page for the title on April 15 in a Texas Deathmatch, which Cole would not win again.

Cole and On the 20th episode of Dynamite, Cole interrupted Tony Khan and Takami Ohbari's announcement of AEW: Forbidden Door, where Cole announced the show will be 'all about' both The Undisputed Elite and the Bullet Club. Cole has revealed that he will be competing in the Owen Hart Cup tournament, selecting Tomohiro Ishii as his qualifying opponent. Cole defeated Ishii on the 22nd edition of Rampage. Cole advanced to the tournament finals at Double or Nothing over Dax Harwood and Jeff Hardy. He defeated Samoa Joe in the finals to win the men's tournament at the tournament.

Cole interrupted "Hangman" Adam Page after Page called out IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and had beaten him to a match for his IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. NJPW Forbidden Door is a dynamite. Cole rated Page unworthy to compete in the World Championships, whilst still stating that Okada will not be Champion by Forbidden Door in Osaka-jo Hall, against Cole's ally, Jay White. After White won the World Championship, Page was supposed to address the situation on the special Road Rager episode of Dynamite on June 15, but Cole interrupted Page once more, claiming his own challenge for the Championship. With a Bladerunner, White was able to hit Page from behind. Following this, White refused to defend his title against Forbidden Door, much to Cole's delight, although White refused to defend the title against Cole at the event, much to Cole's surprise. Cole was unveiled on the Dynamite's June 22 edition, only to be interrupted by White, who refused to defend his position against Cole due to his two losses to Page in AEW. Only for Kazuchika Okada to make his AEW debut and save Page, White and Cole attacked Page, but not before that. Cole, Page, White, and Okada would face each other in the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for Forbidden Door shortly after. White kept the World Championship at the tournament. Cole suffered a serious concussion during the game, resulting in a short absence from AEW programming.

Cole returned to AEW Rampage in 2022 by making his way to the ring accompanied by The Young Bucks and ReDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly). Cole told the audience that he was excited to be back and that, although not entirely clear to return to in-ring action, he wanted to highlight loyalty and discuss the upcoming Trios Tournament. Cole and ReDRagon then turned to the Young Bucks. Adam Page, the "Hangman" came to the Young Bucks' assistance.

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