Adam Cole Opens Up About NXT 2.0 Rebrand

New AEW star and NXT veteran Adam Cole recently appeared on fellow AEW star Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast.

The two discussed AEW beating WWE’s NXT in television ratings and NXT’s subsequent rebranding to NXT 2.0. overseen by higher-ups like Bruce Prichard and Vince McMahon.

Adam Cole expressed that he thinks Vince sees NXT as a tool to get talent ready for WWE’s main roster, the original purpose, and said when he was with NXT, it was treated as being on equal footing with Raw and SmackDown.

Cole said:

“This is all just me guessing. I think, for sure, (AEW beating NXT) played a part (in the rebrand). I also understand the thought process of…there were so many guys in NXT who were presented a certain way and then they’d go to Raw or SmackDown and it was a complete 180. I see the standpoint of, if I am Vince McMahon, him looking at NXT as this breeding ground for guys on Raw and SmackDown, he wants his hands in it a little bit more and he wants bigger guys. Not saying everyone is going to be big, but more guys who are geared to be ready to go for Raw and SmackDown. I understand that.

“When I was there at NXT, it was treated as a third brand. We got on television because of it, we had the big Survivor Series month, which was really cool. It was the more athletic pro wrestling storytelling and style. Them going back to this, certainly, AEW has to play a factor in my mind. It just has to. More important, I do think it’s so they don’t have to change a thing about guys when they are in NXT now.”

Transcription courtesy of Fightful

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