Referee Bryce Remsburg raises the hand of Adam Cole during AEW Dynamite on October 30, 2024, at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland. Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire

The Moment That Caused Adam Cole's Injury Revealed

Originally posted on The Sportster | By Shawn Van Horn | Last updated Jul 13, 2025 12:23 PM ET

AEW All In was a big success, with "Hangman" Adam Page finally being the one to conquer AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, and instant classic matches from the likes of Toni Storm vs. Mercedes Mone and Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada. However, there was also a dark cloud hanging over the show.

During All In Zero Hour, it was revealed that Adam Cole wasn't cleared to compete in his scheduled TNT Championship defense against Kyle Flethcher. While his injury wasn't revealed, it was bad enough that he was stripped of his title immediately. Dustin Rhodes went on to become the new TNT Champion later in the night, but it's Cole's speech beforehand, where he cried and hinted at retirement, that had everyone talking. We now might know the exact moment his latest serious injury occurred.

Adam Cole may have been injured by Kyle Fletcher on Collision

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez spoke about Cole's injury. He revealed that the moment came during AEW Collision on Thursday, two days before All In. To sell their scheduled matchup, Paragon (Cole, Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly) took on Kyle Fletcher, Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero in the night's opening Trios Match. Alvarez said:

"He took a lariat from Kyle Fletcher, and he was hurt."

If you watch the match back, the lariat spot comes in the closing minutes. After Cole takes it, he stays down for a few extra seconds, leading to the referee checking on him. However, it seemed to fans like he was just selling the move, because he got right back up and continued the match, although it ended seconds later.

Does Adam Cole have another concussion?

What Cole's exact injury was has not been revealed, but it's obvious that it's not something minor. The way Cole seemed out of it after the lariat, combined with his unfortunate injury past in AEW, has led fans to speculate that he has suffered another horrible concussion.

With his serious history of head injuries, it makes sense why he would be talking about a potential retirement.

This article first appeared on The Sportster and was syndicated with permission.

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