First-ever NXT North American Champion Adam Cole was recently on the Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast. Here are the highlights (transcript courtesy of Wrestling Inc).
His popularity growing:
“It’s definitely a lot more since starting with NXT,” Cole said. “Even post-Royal Rumble definitely more often that people come up to me asking to take a picture with me and wanting an autograph. It just shows the scale at how many people do watch WWE.”
Pressure of carrying NXT after recent superstar call-ups:
“There absolutely is that pressure. Any time guys move to Raw and SmackDown, I think that is what has kept NXT so relevant and has kept the fans so invested because they are now conditioned that whoever leaves or comes in, NXT, as a product, is going to give really exciting sports entertainment every time,” he said. “You do have your different generation of guys, and those generations before did an excellent job, so it does put pressure on guys like me, Aleister [Black], Bobby [Fish] and Kyle [O’Reilly], and everyone else involved in NXT now. I think that is when guys are at their best, when you put pressure and have something to work towards and have something to compare yourself to, or try to best them, it really does make you better.”
