'Superman' Adam Cole hell-bent on retaining NXT belt, wants 'dream match' with AJ Styles

NXT champion Adam Cole is eyeing the record for the longest-reigning titleholder as he gears up to face long-time rival Tommaso Ciampa at NXT Takeover in Portland. The leader of the Undisputed Era, who became the champ in 2019 at  NXT TakeOver: XXV, is hell-bent on retaining his title and refuses to step down to any challenge from the dynamic locker room. Adam Cole is no stranger to sharing the ruing with challenger Tommaso Ciampa, as the duo share a bond that transcends beyond the ring, but that does not stop the reigning champion from believing that he would try all the tricks in his bag to retain the title at Portland despite knowing that Ciampa could be quite dangerous. Eyeing to be the 'Showstopper', Adam Cole aims to take a leaf out of his inspiration Shawn Michael's book as he takes on Ciampa to defend his title. 

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'I feel like Superman' 

Speaking to Republic World in a telephonic conversation, Adam Cole talked about the 'adrenaline rush' that he experienced while coming out through the curtains in front of the fans and said that he felt like 'Superman'. Hinting at how things at NXT were different from WWE or from his stint as an independent wrestler, Adam Cole stressed on how the style of wrestling had changed and about how MMA had played a crucial role in the wrestling, allowing the strikes and submissions to become more technical and area-specific. Speaking about his relationship with Ciampa, Adam Cole recounted that he and Ciampa were good friends outside the ring too and that they knew each other too well. 

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"Wrestling is about to change, the style has changed. It has become very demanding, I have so much adrenaline going through my body - I feel like Superman when I'm walking out of the curtains into the ring. in my mind, it constantly rings that you are going to war", said Adam Cole 

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Adam Cole did not shy away from accepting that headlining Wrestlemania was a dream for him, like for many other stars but maintained his focus, however, was on being the NXT champion for the longest time. Adam Cole revealed that if there was one opponent that he would want to face at Wrestlemania, it would be the Phenomenal One A J Styles. Cole said that he had squared off against Styles a couple of times and had great respect for the star. The NXT champion did not refrain from commenting that while the NXT title was precious to him, he wouldn't mind adding other prestigious championships including the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Championship and so on to his name. 

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