13 Questions with Adam Cole!

Adam Cole is one of the fastest rising young stars in professional wrestling today. Having wrestled primarily in Ring of Honor, fans also may know of him from his standout matches in CZW and PWG. On Sunday, March 4th Cole teams with Eddie Edwards in the main event of Ring of Honor’s 10th Anniversary Show against ROH World Champion Davey Richards and his Future Shock tag team partner, Kyle O’Reilly. Cole graciously gave Two Spot Monkeys some time to answer “13 Questions” before the ROH iPPV which can be ordered here for $9.99 : http://www.gfl.tv/Events/Fight/Wrestlin ... _Show/1319

1. How did you get your start in training for pro wrestling and with CZW?

Cole:  Well I was always a HUGE wrestling fan growing up, and as my passion as a fan grew, I knew that being a fan wasn't enough and I wanted to get involved. So as that passion grew, so did my expansion of the wrestling that I watched. I got into independent wrestling as well, and became a fan of ROH, PWG, IWA MS, and then CZW. I met DJ Hyde one day after a CZW show, and expressed to him my interest in becoming a pro wrestler, and the rest was history. I began my training at CZW with DJ and Jon Dahmer, and then continued to hone my craft all through the North East wrestling scene.

2. What are your favorite memories of pro wrestling as you grew up? What promotions did you follow? What wrestlers were your favorites and why?

Cole:  My personal favorite memory was the first time I ever got "goosebumps" in my life, and that was when The Rock wrestled Steve Austin at WrestleMania 17. Just Austin's entrance alone, with 67,000 people losing their minds, made me realize how special pro wrestling really was, and at that very moment I knew I wanted to be a wrestler. I was a big WWF fan, and watched all their programming religiously. I watched a little bit of WCW, and caught the tale end of ECW when it was on TNN, so I've played a lot of catch up over the years. And then like I mentioned earlier, I followed all types of independent and international wrestling as well. Pretty much anything I could get my hands on.

I really loved Steve Austin growing up, just because of his connection with the audience and his ability to do or say ANYTHING and have the people go crazy. Kurt Angle was another guy I really enjoyed. He was one of the first guys that made me really love the "wrestling" part of this sport. His ability to get the people so invested in what he did without any kind of whacky gimmick always captivated me. CM Punk was actually the guy who got me into Ring of Honor and the independents, just because of his awesome promo ability alone.

3. From your 2008 debut you wrestled in a variety of promotions and had a variety of opportunities to make your name. What led to your shot with Ring of Honor in 2009 and developed into something more regular in 2010?

Cole:  Well I had done a couple of dark matches for ROH by this point, and was really trying to get a full time roster spot there. Adam Pearce was the booker at the time, and although he enjoyed my matches, I couldn't seem to impress him enough to give me a roster spot. So I figured he had seen enough of my matches to form an opinion, so I needed to show him something different. I decided to send him some promos, hoping that would get his attention, and fortunately it did. He had me cut an in-ring promo before an ROH HDNET Taping, and Jim Cornette saw it as well, and liked what he saw. So a couple of months later, I was fortunate enough to be offered a contract and get a full time roster spot.

4. How did your team with Kyle O’Reilly come about? Was it an organic pairing or did it take time to gel as a duo?

Cole:  Me and Kyle were offered deals around the same time, and we both assumed that we were going to be singles guys. Then ROH came at us with the idea of having us as a team, just to see if it would stick, and fortunately it did. Me and Kyle are so different in the ring, but thankfully we gelled and had good chemistry right off the bat. Kyle ended up becoming one of my closest friends, and we really got to grow as wrestlers together in Ring of Honor.

5. You & O’Reilly broke out to the majority of the ROH audience against The All-Night Express at Final Battle 2010, then followed that strong iPPV showing with two awesome back to back match matches against The Briscoes and Kings of Wrestling respectively in Atlanta last year, also in iPPV. Did you consider any of those matches as catalysts for your team in terms of going to the next level or being given a more consistent shot?

Cole:  Definitely the two scenarios that you mentioned were the biggest weekends for me and Kyle as a team up to that point. I feel that the Final Battle match that we had was the match where we proved that we belonged in Ring of Honor, but the Atlanta weekend I feel we proved that we could be ROH Tag Team Champions someday. Both crowds were so receptive and were so good to me and Kyle, and it will forever be ingrained in my head as one of the most special moments in my career.

6. You won the “Tag Team Lottery” and a future title shot in July, but it did not materialize into more success for your team. In your opinion what prevented Future Shock from going to another level?

Cole:  I think the biggest issue is the very same reason I find myself across the ring from Kyle at the 10 Year Anniversary show in NYC, and that's Davey Richards. Kyle began to put more and more attention and focus on Davey, so therefore he may not have had his head in the team as much as I did, and that hurt us. I'm not blaming Kyle or faulting him for his mindset, as he's getting a great opportunity to be with the ROH World Champion. That opened the gates for me to team with the only triple crown winner in ROH, Eddie Edwards. Myself and Kyle told ourselves when we formed Future Shock that we wanted to push ourselves to be the best wrestlers we can be, and I believe now, even though it's not together, we're doing that more than ever.

7. Did the challenge of overcoming that hurdle of success or the ROH World Tag Team Titles lead to the problems and/or apparent split of Future Shock and the alignment with Eddie Edwards?

Cole:  That definitely frustrated the both of us. When your an ROH wrestler, you want to be the best at what you do, and me and Kyle weren't getting the job done as a team. Although we had good showings, we really weren't getting those big wins that we needed. Is that why Kyle started teaming with Davey? I don't know. But I look at this new opportunity to team with Eddie as a chance to really improve and start getting some big wins.

8. You teamed with Eddie for the first time on the 2/18 TV show and got the win. With respect to the short amount of time as a team, how do you enter the main event of the 10th Anniversary Show with confidence to go against Davey Richards & Kyle O’Reilly?

Cole:  I think our biggest advantage is also our biggest disadvantage, in that because we haven't teamed that often, Kyle and Davey don't know what to prepare for. I know Kyle better than anyone, and Eddie knows Davey better than anyone, so we have a pretty good idea of what were in for in NYC. I can tell you that after the tag me and Eddie had in Baltimore, things felt right. Sometimes a lot of wrestling is gut feeling, and I have a very, very good feeling about my team with Eddie.

9. At the end of the 10th Anniversary Show and the main event has ended, what is the result, what you do hope has been accomplished/gained, where is your relationship with Kyle and what is next for Adam Cole?

Cole:  At the end of this event, people will know exactly what Adam Cole is capable of. I have prepared for four years for this very moment, and I don't take an opportunity like this lightly. I hope that the ROH Locker Room, the people of NYC, and all the fans watching on iPPV realize that I am not only here to stay, but to be a ROH World Champion someday. My relationship with Kyle will hopefully be no different. I love him like a brother, and will always have his back, but we need to prove to each other who is better. We need to. Hopefully this very event escalates my career in ROH to the next level.

10. You have also had some singles match opportunities recently, giving strong matches and performances against Roderick Strong and Michael Elgin specifically and getting fans behind you. What are your thoughts on a singles focused run in ROH and is there a singles match that you are really hoping to have?

Cole:  I think eventually down the line a fully focused singles run is no question in my future. Right now, having the chance to learn from Eddie Edwards is what I'm fully focused on. But eventually, I will take that knowledge and experience to hopefully create a successful singles run in ROH. I would love the opportunity to have a singles match with Davey Richards, he is the very best in the world, because he holds the ROH World Title. I would love to test myself against him in a singles environment. I'd love another crack at Jay Lethal as well. I came really close to victory in North Carolina against him, and I feel like if I had another shot I could get the job done.

11. Just about 4 years into your career, what is your most memorable accomplishment or what are you most proud of?

Cole:  I think getting to travel overseas has been my greatest accomplishment and what I'm most proud of. Getting to travel is such a perk of this industry, so having the opportunity to see the world and doing what I love in the process is something I hold very close to me. I hope I get to do even more traveling as the years go by!

12. What are your goals for your career as you move into the future?

Cole:  Getting to travel more overseas is a goal of mine for sure. Winning some gold in Ring of Honor is definitely a goal of mine, whether that be the ROH Tag Titles with Eddie Edwards or maybe even some singles gold. And just continuing to hone my craft as much as possible. Of course WWE is something that any wrestler thinks about or imagines, so years from now who knows that the future holds. Until then though, I am fully focused on being the best wrestler I can be, and doing it in Ring of Honor.

13. How can fans follow your career, get any Adam Cole merchandise or contact you?

Cole:  I have a website out, www.adamcolepro.com. That has links to my Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channel, along with my schedule, merchandise, and general updates on everything. Please feel free to message me and keep in touch! I seriously can't say enough how thankful I am for all the support, and I can promise you guys this is just the start!

Two Spot Monkeys wants to thank Ring of Honor and Adam Cole for taking time to sit down with us for this interview!  Be sure to check out Ring of Honor's 10th Anniversary Show this Sunday on iPPV at GoFightLive.tv!