Tony Khan Confirms AEW Star Will Stay Sidelined Due To Concussion
Adam Cole suffered a serious concussion at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view where he faced off in a Four-Way Match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against champion Jay White, Adam "Hangman" Page, and Kazuchika Okada. Cole's concussion led to a forced finish of the match as White pinned him to retain his championship.
However, this wasn't the only injury Cole was dealing with coming out of the match. The former NXT Champion reportedly headed into the match recovering from a torn labrum he suffered during his feud with Hangman that culminated at AEW Revolution. Since suffering the concussion, Cole has yet to appear on AEW "Dynamite" or "Rampage" and has been added to a big laundry list of injuries the company is currently dealing with.
During an exclusive interview with the "New York Post", AEW Owner Tony Khan provided some information on Cole and revealed why the company allowed him to wrestle at Forbidden Door. Cole hadn't wrestled during the lead-up to the match and was used on television during segments and on commentary.
"He had no contact between Double or Nothing and Forbidden Door. He was on commentary. He had been cleared to wrestle," Khan said. "So now, I'm also gonna take some time [off] for him. We had already taken some time and I'll take some more time to make sure he's right and wouldn't want him to wrestle until he's feeling 100 percent. He was feeling 100 percent going into Forbidden Door. That's how unpredictable these are."
As previously stated, AEW is currently dealing with several major injuries that include current AEW World Champion CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Kenny Omega, and Jungle Boy to name a few. As of this writing, it's unclear when Cole will be cleared to return to in-ring competition, but All Elite Wrestling could use the 33-year-old during this tough time of absences.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit New York Post with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.