Adam Cole

My parents split up when I was nine years old, and I started taking karate lessons at that point. I was very dedicated to my karate, and I looked up to my karate instructor kind of like a second father.

Wrestling is not only my job, it's my life, so when I wasn't able to wrestle, I didn't know what to do with myself.

When you're young, you feel like you're Superman and that you can't be hurt.

If I was to tell you that I don't want to have a Wrestlemania moment someday, I would 100% be lying to you.

My grandmother was one of the most loving, caring, and supportive people I've ever met.

I've been really lucky over the years with my health. To me, one major surgery at 27 years old isn't so bad considering my line of work.

There is nothing I love more than pro wrestling, so getting to do that all over the globe with some of the best out there is my personal heaven.

Shawn Michaels, to me and to so many people, is just the greatest in-ring performer of all time.

When I was nine years old and dreamed of being a pro wrestler, the thing I was most fascinated by was how much love the wrestlers got.

Without Ring of Honor, I wouldn't be the wrestler I am or have the confidence needed to continue to grow in this ever-challenging sport.

I do work incredibly hard. I eat, sleep, and breathe pro wrestling with all of my heart, and I'm always committed to giving this my all.

I've been over to Japan a handful of times, and the fans there are some of the best. So supportive, so appreciative, genuinely excited to meet the wrestlers they watch.

I remember, the first CZW show I went to was 'Best of the Best 7,' and I loved the entire tournament. So, for me, to three years later go and win the tournament was very, very cool and sort of a full-circle moment for me, and certainly something I'll never forget.

The fans in the U.K. are so passionate and cool. It doesn't matter what company you work for or which part of the country you're in: everyone is super educated and respectful.

I always said to myself when I first started wrestling that I was gonna put absolutely everything into it - into becoming the absolute best pro wrestling that I could be.

But when it comes down to it, I'm a guy who feels like I should be a champion in NXT.

I've said this before, and I'll say this again: NXT is like a rock concert, roller coaster ride.

Like me personally, I'm not a huge football guy, but I do watch the Super Bowl every year, and I get into it because it's exciting.

I think the rating system is a way to open more discussion with wrestling fans about matches. To me, it's just another outlet to voice their opinions, so that's why I think they are so passionate about it.

As everyone knows, things change in pro wrestling all the time. To try and expect what's going to happen in the future is just foolish to me.

I look at a guy like Velveteen Dream who has only been wrestling for a couple of years, and he's just filled with charisma, filled with talent.

There is nothing that makes me more falsely arrogant, like, wanting to defend myself, than a TSA agent.

For me, my number one guy would be Tanahashi from New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Like, watching him, like, this guy is a bonafide rockstar over in Japan. He can't even walk down the street without getting stopped, the way that he carries himself.

Aside from ROH, just getting a taste of Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome with NJPW has me really excited at the prospect of furthering and developing my career in Japan.

For me, generally speaking, I don't like to make a big deal out of stuff.

I'm a very shy, introverted person.

I think Ring of Honor is becoming a legitimate threat in the world of pro wrestling. To say that Ring of Honor would be WWE is getting a little bit ahead of yourself. At the same time, I think Ring of Honor can definitely be a place where guys can make a living.

Steve Corino was a guy I met before I got into Ring of Honor. I got to work with Steve, and he kind of took me under his wing and really helped me.

When you look back at the former Ring of Honor world champions, whether it be Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Nigel McGuiness, the list goes on and on. These are the guys that built the lineage and importance of the Ring of Honor world championship.

Fortunately for me, I discovered Ring of Honor. And I saw guys who were much smaller in stature but were putting on these amazing matches that I had never seen in WWE before. So I thought, at the very least, I'd love the chance to be able to wrestle in a company like that someday.

I think it's cool that people care so much where I'm going to end up or what I'm going to do.

It's a really cool time to be a wrestling fan.

Regardless of who leaves and who stays, Ring of Honor is going to continue to be a healthy, growing, successful pro wrestling promotion.

Being the first-ever three-time ROH world champion is pretty surreal.

There are good wrestlers, great wrestlers, and special wrestlers.

For anyone watching Ring of Honor out of the gate, they knew when they were watching an ROH event that they were watching a different level of wrestler from what they had seen.

When I was in school, if I was talking as myself and I was presenting something as myself or having to answer a question, I was so nervous. I would get red in the face; I would feel sweaty. I hated it. But anytime I was performing, like, if it was a talent show, or if it's through wrestling, I'm portraying or being someone else, I'm so comfortable.

I grew up watching guys - like, I loved Mick Foley's ECW promos; I loved CM Punk's promos. There's this guy, Eddie Kingston. He was just a fantastic talker, so I used to study and watch him. I mean, gosh, there's just such a big list of guys who I used to study. I used to watch promos as much as I did matches.

There's no better way to start a year than to become the first-ever three-time ROH World Champion.

Promos have always been something that I've taken very, very seriously.

Seth Rollins was just leaving Ring Of Honor when I was coming in, so I've heard him say very nice things about me in interviews and stuff. I always say nice things about him because of that respect I have for him. I watched him when I was working the independents while he was wrestling at Ring Of Honor, and I used to be blown away by his work then.

I'm really, really close with Kevin Owens. We talk practically every day. He was a guy who really, really helped me, both in Ring Of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.

I'm really close with Sami Zayn.

I can't say enough good things about Matt Hardy.

Matt Hardy came into ROH with open arms. Matt came into ROH ready to learn.

I'm going to be with Ring of Honor for a while. So I'm focused on making ROH the best company it can be.

Wrestling has gotten crazy lately in that guys can really make comfortable, good livings outside of WWE.

My two main trainers were John Dahmer and DJ Hyde. DJ Hyde mainly taught me how to be tough: I mean, the beatings that he used to give the students as far as wrestling initiations go were as tough as they come, and I'm thankful for it.

When you're an independent wrestler, committing a lot of time and effort into honing your craft as much as possible in as many different places as possible will catch the WWE's interest as far as the independent level goes.

I was a 19 year old kid; I was 170 lbs soaking wet. I didn't have an identity. I didn't have a look. I didn't have the proper gear. I was just a young guy trying to be a wrestler. So, to be honest, WWE didn't even give me a second look.