Rumor Killer Regarding Adam Cole Possibly Leaving NXT

Back in late May speculation started swirling online regarding Adam Cole's status with the WWE. Even though he has been the NXT Champion for over a full year, fans started thinking it was possible he'd make the jump to AEW given that his initial WWE contract was set to expire by the end of the summer. That speculation was amplified when Cole's girlfriend, AEW star Britt Baker, talked about seeing Cole wrestle for All Elite Wrestling.

"It's all one huge giant family," Baker said on the AEW Unrestricted podcast. "I hope there is a day in the future, in the near future, where Adam Cole can be in the ring with The Young Bucks and Kenny [Omega] and Cody [Rhodes] and it will come full circle and we can all be one giant happy family again."

However PWInsider reported on Monday that's not actually the case and that Cole has more than 18 months left on his current deal.

Cole successfully retained the NXT title against Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House this past Sunday. After the match Triple H praised Cole for his professionalism.

"If I was to place money on anybody, anytime we're on the air that he's on there that he's going to steal the show, Adam Cole is a sure bet," Hunter said. "But if I was to put that aside and say the professional, the leader, the example, the human being, I don't know that I can speak any higher of anyone than Adam Cole. He's that level of performer.

"He's not only the kind of guy that you want as a contributor because he's that good, but he's the kind of guy you just want to work with, you want to work for, you want to work hard to do things to help him succeed and to set the table for him to be able to do it and all of those," he added. "You want to work for him, he's just that kind of guy. Can't say enough stuff about him. He's a consummate pro and I love working with him."

WWE returns to pay-per-view this Sunday with the Backlash event. Check out the card below:

• WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
• WWE Universal Championship: Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison
• United States Championship: Apollo Crews vs. Andrade
• Raw Women's Championship: Asuka vs. Nia Jax
• WWE Women's Tag Team Championships: Sasha Banks & Bayley vs. The IIconics vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
• Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus
• Edge vs. Randy Orton