Adam Cole Says Roderick Strong's Debut Is A Win For Both Himself And AEW

Roderick Strong made his shocking AEW debut on the April 26 episode of "AEW Dynamite" when he made a run-in to save Adam Cole from a beatdown at the hands of the Jericho Appreciation Society. As fans could expect, Cole is very happy to see his friend in AEW.

"I couldn't be more excited," Cole said on a recent episode of "Sports Guys Talking Wrestling." "He's one of my best friends in the entire world. He's one of the best pound for pound in-ring pro wrestlers on the planet. To have Roddy Strong with us in AEW is not only a win for me, but it's a win for AEW."

Cole and Strong's on screen history dates back to 2012 when they feuded for the Ring of Honor World Television Championship. They continued crossing paths in ROH through 2015 and then picked things up again on "WWE NXT" in 2017. The following year, Strong turned heel and aligned with the Undisputed Era to fill the void as a result of Bobby Fish suffering an injury. The faction was able to capture numerous titles and headlined three consecutive WarGames matches.

In early 2021, Cole and Strong teamed up to compete in the annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, but they only made it to the quarterfinals. Shortly after, Cole turned heel on the group and feuded with Kyle O'Reilly, leaving Strong to pursue the "NXT" Cruiserweight Championship while forming Diamond Mine. Strong disappeared from "NXT" last fall and hadn't been seen again until his AEW debut, which caught many by surprise because few people knew he actually left WWE.