AEW's Tony Khan Gets Candid About Adam Cole's Injuries

Earlier this year, Adam Cole made his highly-anticipated return to All Elite Wrestling after being sidelined with post-concussion syndrome for the latter half of 2022 and early months of 2023. Upon his return, Cole was later paired with AEW World Champion MJF. Together, the duo won the ROH World Tag Team Championships at AEW All In. Less than a month into their reign, though, Cole sustained an ankle injury, which put him on the shelf once again. 

During the AEW Full Gear media call, AEW President Tony Khan addressed some of the concerns surrounding Cole's recent injury history. "After his head injuries, when he came back, I think he had been so hot when he came in 2021, and for better or worse, I don't know if people believed he was ever going to get as hot as he had been," Khan said. "Then in 2023, he defied all the expectations ... I told him [at Wembley Stadium] that I take as more pride in this probably than anything we've done all year. There's people that didn't think he would get as hot as he had been in his peak of his career, and I believe in 2023, he's been hotter than he ever was or has been. And for us, certainly, he helped move so much business. Adam Cole is one of the most important people in AEW."

Despite the freak ankle injury Cole then suffered at "AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam," Khan maintains a positive outlook on Cole's future and the future of AEW as a whole, specifically touting his satisfaction with the recent AEW WrestleDream event. Amidst Cole's absence from the ring, MJF was tasked with defending the ROH Tag Team Championships by himself against The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) at AEW WrestleDream. While the odds were not in his favor, MJF managed to retain the titles for himself and Cole.

If you use quotes in this article, please credit the AEW Full Gear media call and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.