Adam Cole On Where He Sees NXT In The Next 5-10 Years

Adam Cole had nearly 10 years of wrestling experience before he joined NXT in 2017. He wrestled for Ring of Honor, PWG and other promotions but says none of those quite compare to NXT.

Cole joined the State of Combat podcast to discuss why NXT is so different than other promotions.

"There's this really cool, untapped thing with what is happening and that is the relationship between the wrestlers and the fans in that building," revealed Cole. "I think one of the coolest things in the world is that when we are able to go to these TakeOver events wherever they are in the country, or with TakeOver UK with the TakeOvers over there too. These fans, and I know it sounds cliché, but it is true, these fans are the most passionate wrestling fans on the planet and that is not something that is just said, you can feel it in the building."

Cole says an example of the passion that NXT fans have is that they follow the careers of NXT Superstars from them wrestling on the indies to getting to this point. There is an attachment that the fans have to the Superstars that just isn't there at other places.

"Also, there are also new wrestling fans who come out for the first time. But the thing that is consistent is that when fans go out there to the shows they are there to have a great time, watching a wrestling show and are there to make as much noise as possible and letting us know that hey, we are excited and we want you guys to knock it out of the park. And when they act that way, we have no choice but to bring 110 percent. That relationship is so awesome because those fans are as much a part of the show as the wrestlers are," said Cole.

"A lot of times when people leave or they are done watching a TakeOver on the WWE Network they talk about how awesome and special and cool it was and how awesome the environment was. We are doing our job with giving you the best matches as we possibly can, but those fans are doing their job too and are making a whole bunch of noise, so it is awesome. It is a really cool connection we have with the NXT audience."

NXT has come a long way since Triple H took it over and made it a third brand in 2012. Cole discussed where he sees NXT going from here over the next 5-10 years.

"The sky is the limit. Like I briefly mentioned earlier, it has been almost two years for me that I have joined the NXT roster, and even the growth from then has been unbelievable," stated Cole. "This brand, and I am going to call it a brand, continues to grow and grow and we are getting more and more people checking out NXT TV and the NXT pay-per-view events. I really believe there is a special thing that is specifically happening to the NXT brand, and the more people that watch and lay their eyes on it, they walk away going I am going to continue to watch and support that because I love that.

"As long as it continues to happen the brand is going to grow more and more. Really, the sky is the limit where NXT can go. It is a really cool thing to see how far NXT has risen and it is the hottest it has ever been. I am really glad to be part of it. It is really cool."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit State of Combat with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Peter Bahi contributed to this article.