Adam Cole Bids Farewell To AEW All In 2025 Crowd, Says He'll Be Gone For A Long Time

Adam Cole appeared before the AEW All In crowd after it was announced by Tony Khan that he would not be defending the TNT Championship. 

"I cannot clear Adam Cole to go out there and wrestle today. I don't feel good about it... I'm going to ask Adam to take some time away to make sure he's clear, but I do need to vacate the championship," Khan said before the event. 

During the event, the former champion came down to the ring with the title belt in hand, handing it over before confirming that, while he didn't want to use the word retire, he would need to take an indefinite break from wrestling to address the issue. 

Cole broke down in tears as he spoke, thanking the crowd for welcoming him and changing his life. He said he would not take up any more time, and much like Khan's announcement on the matter, he didn't detail any specifics, before embracing both Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly – who also held back tears – and tuning the crowd up for one last "ADAM COLE, BAY BAY!" 

Cole, O'Reilly, and Strong then took their leave up the ramp, with Cole and Daniel Garcia sharing a moment as he entered for the TNT Championship four-way. Garcia was announced alongside number one contender, Kyle Fletcher, as well as ROH World Tag Team Champions Sammy Guevara and Dustin Rhodes in a four-way for the vacant title, in lieu of the scheduled singles bout between Fletcher and Cole. 

While no specifics or timeframes have been provided, and Cole ensured not to formally retire, Wrestling Inc. wishes him well in his recovery.