Editor’s Note: This story has been updated from an earlier post that said Cole had an offer from AEW which was incorrect.
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that former NXT Champion Adam Cole is negotiating a new deal with WWE.
News broke last week that Cole’s WWE contract expired in July but that he came to an agreement to work through SummerSlam. Meltzer said as of mid-week, the 32-year-old has not agreed to a new deal according to those close to the situation.
Fightful reported Friday that Cole is backstage at SmackDown to have a “high-level meeting” with Vince McMahon himself.
If he was to sign elsewhere, there would be no 90-day non-compete clause due to the contract expiration.
Despite his girlfriend (Women’s Champion Britt Baker) finding success in AEW, Meltzer said there’s no indication Cole is heading there.
Cole (Austin Jenkins) has been in the system since 2017, all of it in NXT. The longest-reigning NXT Champion in brand history, Cole has also held the North American and Tag Team titles as well, but has yet to get the call-up to the main roster.