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The Wrestling World Reacts To Adam Cole's Heartbreaking Announcement

Britt Baker led the tributes after an emotionally charged moment at AEW All In
Joe Baiamonte|
All Elite Wrestling - Lee South

After Adam Cole indicated he may have to retire in an emotionally charged segment during AEW All In Texas, the wrestling world paid tribute to the former AEW TNT Champion, who relinquished the title at this evening's PPV in Arlington, Texas.

Cole was stripped of the title on Saturday ahead of the pay-per-view, with his planned defence against Kyle Fletcher being called off. As a result, he was replaced in the match by Daniel Garcia, Dustin Rhodes, and Sammy Guevara,

Before the hastily assembled four-way match could take place, Cole came down to the ring and addressed fans, revealing that he is dealing with "health issues," and would be sidelined for a long time. The former NXT Champion did not indicate what said health issues were, and said while he didn't want to think about the idea of retirement, he wanted to thank the fans for everything they gave to him.

Following his promo, Cole was then joined by Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly, who hugged him in the ring amidst tears.

Almost immediately, tributes poured onto social media, with former AEW Women's Champion and Cole's former partner, Britt Baker, leading the well wishes.

@RealBrittBaker: "💔 #BayBay"

@ReneePaquette: "Adam Cole Forever."

@AustinCreedWins: "#DaParty

@Alan_V_Angels: "Adam Cole is an incredible Professional wrestler and an inspiration to all Independent wrestlers everywhere. In 2021 AEW had a bus ride going from Kansas City to St. Louis and he talked to me for 2 hours straight. Giving me advice, and chatting with me about the business. I genuinely hope to see him in a wrestling ring again some day."

@facdaniels: " ADAM COLE
I can’t express how much I love and respect this man. I hope he recovers and returns to continue fulfilling his dream here at AEW. "

@DeweyHaveTo: "One of the highlights of my time at WWE was getting to work with Adam Cole on a weekly basis. For 3+ years, I got to see him flourish and excel in every facet of the pro wrestling game. And what a magnificent human being.

We love you @AdamColePro"

Let's hope Cole is able to return at some point. A great wrestler and an even greater human being.

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Joe Baiamonte
JOE BAIAMONTE

Joe Baiamonte is a contributing writer for The Takedown On SI, joining the team in April, 2025. Joe has been covering professional wrestling, sports and entertainment for over a decade, serving as editor at SPORTbible between 2014 and 2018 - where he helped the team to three consecutive Football Blogging Awards - and as head of sport at Unilad. Joe has written for numerous outlets in the United Kingdom and United States, including The Sportsman, Sporf, Pubity, GiveMeSport and The Sportster, interviewing the likes of Neymar, Harry Kane, Ruud Gullit, Triple H, Ric Flair, Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, Rey Mysterio, Aaron Boone, Alex Cora, Chris Sale and Chase Uttley. He has a BA (Hons) degree in Journalism and Broadcasting from the University of Salford and currently resides in Manchester, England, having been raised just down the road in Burnley. He briefly moved to Croatia with his family after the birth of his son, where he spent an entire summer writing on the beach and eating squid.

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