Why Adam Cole Calls Ring Of Honor A Golden Age Of Independent Wrestling

Adam Cole has had a well-traveled career during his 15 years in the business – from his days as top dog in "WWE NXT" to his current run in AEW. But it was his eight years in Ring of Honor that were among his most formative. There, he became one of the promotion's biggest stars and competed with a wealth of talent who'd eventually join him in reaching the ranks of AEW and WWE. Popping in on "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy," Cole reflected on those ROH days, and just how important they were to him — and to wrestling as a whole.

"Looking back on it now, and even then, it felt like it was a really special time ... The roster, from top to bottom, was just stacked with some of the best talent in the entire world," stated Cole. "From the opening card match to the main event, every single spot on that card was filled with some of the best guys on the planet. And getting to learn from and work with some of these guys was absolutely incredible for me."

"When you think about the influence that ROH had — I mean, in many ways, the more recent version of 'NXT,' that Black and Gold era of 'NXT,' very much was the core of what Ring of Honor was built on in a lot of ways," he added, looking back fondly on his time in WWE's third brand. "And that got the chance to be seen under the WWE umbrella. So I think the impact that was made and how special it was did feel very real at the time. But oh my God, now looking back on it, it really was the golden age of independent wrestling in a lot of ways."

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