Adam Cole teased retirement at AEW All In: Texas. AEW - AllEliteWrestling.com

Adam Cole Indicates He May Retire, New TNT Champion Crowned At AEW All In: Texas

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Jon Alba | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 4:48 PM ET

AEW has crowned a new TNT Champion at AEW All In: Texas after a chaotic morning forced a major change to the card, as the future of one of the company's biggest names is up in the air.

AEW TNT Champion Adam Cole was stripped of the title on Saturday ahead of the pay-per-view, with his planned defense against Kyle Fletcher being called off. As a result, he was replaced in the match by Daniel Garcia, Dustin Rhodes, and Sammy Guevara, with Guevara and Rhodes also performing on the Zero Hour. There, they teamed with the Von Erichs against Shane Taylor Promotions.

In that match, The Sons of Texas picked up the win, with Kevin Von Erich earning a massive reaction from the Lone Star State crowd. He applied his legendary Iron Claw on Anthony Ogogo during the match.

A heartfelt message from @AdamColePro.

Watch #AEWAllInTexas LIVE on PPV right now!https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj pic.twitter.com/pwvHvwi6fA
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 12, 2025

That would lead to a major upset in the ensuing match.

Rhodes successfully defeated the former TNT Champion Garcia, Guevara, and Fletcher to capture his first singles title in AEW. Dustin Rhodes pinned Garcia to win the belt. The 56-year-old is also a Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champion and World Six-Man Tag Team Champion.

Prior to the match, Cole came down to the ring and told the fans he is dealing with "health issues," and would be out for a long time. He did not indicate what they were, and said while he didn't want to think about the idea of retirement, he wanted to thank the fans for everything they gave to him. Cole was then joined by Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly, who hugged him in the ring amidst tears.

Daniel Garcia shares a moment with @AdamColePro before heading into the 4-WAY TNT Championship Match.

Watch #AEWAllInTexas LIVE on PPV right now!https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj pic.twitter.com/HiMLwfm8VE
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 12, 2025

The 36-year-old has missed several large gaps of time during his AEW run as a result of major injuries, including during his headlining storyline with MJF after All In 2023. An AEW official told The Takedown on SI they were unaware of the extent of Cole's health issues, and found out at the same time as everyone else.

Cole's status is expected to be addressed in the post-show press conference.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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