During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed some of the issues in WWE after SmackDown was beaten by AEW Rampage in the 18-49 demo on Friday night when the two shows went head-to-head. As the conversation progressed, talk turned to creating new stars, and Meltzer brought up recent AEW signee Adam Cole.
Despite the fact he was a big star in NXT and has been making a massive impact in AEW, there were those in WWE who simply did not see him as someone who could make an impact on the main roster.
That's a little baffling considering what an incredible response he received when NXT Superstars were brought up to SmackDown a few years ago due to travel issues, not to mention how well he performed at Survivor Series that same year. However, as Meltzer explains, "everyone knew how good he was and their feeling was that he’s too small to be big time."
It's been reported that one idea for Cole on the main roster was for him to become Keith Lee's manager and, for some reason, cut his hair. The person responsible for that idea? Vince McMahon suck-up, Bruce Prichard. "Bruce was the guy with the Adam Cole idea. That’s not the guy, that’s not the guy you want there," Meltzer says. "He needs a guy who is a product of the last few years of wrestling who knows the last few years of wrestling and understands today’s wrestling ."
"[They need to have] a clue of where tomorrow’s wrestling is going because today’s wrestling doesn’t matter," he continues. "You should be thinking 2024 and 2025 right now. If you’re in 1980 then you’re going to be even further away."
With Prichard so influential backstage right now...well, that explains an awful lot about WWE today.