How Adam Cole Kept AEW Debut Quiet, Did NXT Reboot Work

While many expected him to land there, most didn’t know when…so how did Adam Cole keep his AEW debut quiet? Plus, did the NXT reboot work, or are the ratings still the same?

How Adam Cole Kept AEW Debut Quiet

Surprise wrestling debuts are getting harder to pull off…so let’s find out how Adam Cole kept his AEW debut quiet.

To catch you up, in case you weren’t around these past few weeks…

Adam Cole was one of two major AEW debuts at the tail end of their most recent PPV.

The other, of course, was Bryan Danielson.

For weeks, if not months, there were strong reports linking Danielson to AEW. The only curve ball there, was that his debut had been expected at their New York City show in September.

Things changed, and he showed up in Chicago.

But not before a significant swerve, with the AEW debut of Adam Cole.

source: custom, brwrestling twitter screenshot

Now, Cole had recently worked in NXT…but when his contract wound down, many signs pointed to an AEW move.

I mean, considering what Vince McMahon wanted to do with him...can you blame him?

So, how did Cole keep the debut quiet?

Well, Cole had help. Tony Khan, the genius behind AEW, put a plan together.

As with other surprise debuts in years past…Cole confirmed he did not fly in to Chicago.

He came in via another airport and then traveled to Chicago. Thus, he avoided any “hey, there is Adam Cole in Chicago” airport photos.

Plus, he didn’t stay at the same hotel as Danielson.

As for the day of the event, as Cole tells SI.com, he and Danielson both arrived to All Out during the show. They were kept away from the roster until the last possible moment.

Every so often, a wrestling company can get a surprise debut, or return, right. More often, things get spoiled…but that’s how Adam Cole kept his AEW debut quiet.

Did NXT Reboot Work

We can have heated debates all we want, but the change happened…so did the NXT reboot work?

It’s been coming for a while now, even if some hated the idea.

Or, some (me) still think the colorful logo is…a bit much.

You might have an opinion on the new set and lighting. It’s probably hard to totally hate the fresh talent that got debuted on the show (even if the names are largely terrible).

source: custom, nxt twitter screenshot

But, did the NXT reboot work? More specifically, do the ratings indicate the NXT reboot worked?

In fairness, the real test will be week over week, if numbers improve and stay improved.

According to Showbuzz Daily, NXT’s fresh coat of paint delivered about 770,000 viewers. That was a marked improvement over last week’s show.

Per the report, the ratings showed a bump across several key demographics as well.

Again, the bigger test will be staying power. The reboot episode had quite a few hooks to pull viewers in.

Between the wedding, the new look and feel, being under new management, and of course the crowning of a new champion…it had a lot.

Not every week will be like Tuesday’s show. So we will have to watch to see if Tuesday’s ratings are an anomaly, or a sign of things to come.