Current Ring of Honor World Champion Adam Cole recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of SI.com to promote this weekend’s ROH 15 Anniversary pay-per-view event. Here are the highlights.
Despite the fact you are ROH world champion, you are inevitably asked about a potential move to WWE or NXT when your contract expires. How do you respond to the lingering question of leaving for WWE?
“That question comes up all the time. To be honest, it’s a question I’ve dealt with, pretty consistently, since 2012. A lot of people have entertained the idea of me leaving, or going to WWE or me leaving for NXT, so that question comes up quite a bit for me. I answer truthfully, as the fact of the matter is I am still under contract with Ring of Honor. For me, I focus so much on what I have in front of me, as opposed to my future. I don’t know if that will hurt me or help me, but I can’t think six months, nine months, or a year ahead from now. The challenges I have set in front of me currently are big challenges, and those are being the Ring of Honor world champion and starting a career in New Japan Pro Wrestling. I have so much to focus on that I’m not even thinking about going to WWE. I’m completely focused on what I have in front of me right now. People ask, ‘Well, would you ever like to go?’ Yes, some day. I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t want to have my own ‘WrestleMania moment.’ Yet the goals that I have and the task I have in front of me are keeping me fully focused on taking care of business in ROH and New Japan.”
During your post-match beating of Bobby Fish this past weekend at Manhattan Mayhem, Bully Ray made his Ring of Honor debut and slammed you through a table. Do you have any prior history with Bully Ray?
“ I have zero history with Bully Ray. I was just as shocked as everybody else when he decided to come down to that ring and chokeslam me through a table. I’ve never been slammed so hard through a table in my life. Bully Ray showed up, and he definitely made a statement. That entire night, with the Hardys and Bully Ray showing up, is proof, again, that Ring of Honor is the place to be. This is where people come together to put on the best wrestling show possible. But Bully Ray made a mistake coming at me, especially since I’m the one who leads Bullet Club, which cannot be stopped. Nobody can touch us, and Bully Ray will be no different. If he wants to start a fight with me, then he just picked a fight with the entire Bullet Club. I hope he’s ready for that.”
You can read the entire interview here.
