"Not to keep going on" - Wrestling veteran lays out path for Adam Cole to still be with AEW if he retires (Exclusive)

AEW star Adam Cole has had a tough time with the promotion ever since joining them back in 2021. The 36-year-old is one of the most popular stars on the roster but has struggled with injuries throughout his AEW tenure. Every time he seemed to be gaining momentum, an injury would derail all his progress.

The same thing happened at All In: Texas, where he had to relinquish the TNT Championship due to a concussion. Wrestling veteran Bill Apter recently offered another alternative to the former TNT Champion if he is forced to retire from in-ring competition due to his health issues.

Talking about The Panama City Playboy on Sportskeeda Wrestling's The Wrestling Time Machine, Apter said that he may decide "not to keep going on" in the ring. He said that Adam Cole could be a great commentator in the business if he decides to hang up his boots.

"It was very heartwarming to see real tears from him to show how much he loved the fans and how much he loved the business and the title. So, he may be out for a long time and he may decide that, you know, with this other concussion now, not to keep going on in doing this. I think he'd be a great commentator. He's got a great personality," Apter said. [1:21 onwards]

This isn't the first time Adam Cole has taken time off due to concussion issues. The inaugural Owen Hart Cup winner also suffered from the same in 2022. His four-way match involving Hangman Adam Page, Kazuchika Okada, and Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the first Forbidden Door event also saw him suffer a severe concussion.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Arsh Das