Adam Cole Reveals Harsh CZW Training Day Initiation at AEW

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Professional wrestling, renowned for its rich tapestry of backstage stories, has historically been fraught with tales of excess, camaraderie, and instances of hazing. A recent guest on First We Feast's "Truth or Dab," AEW's illustrious wrestler Adam Cole peeled back the curtain on a particularly brutal rite of passage he endured during his inaugural day at a training camp.

Cole reminisced about his days as a fresh recruit at the Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) academy located in the gritty precincts of south Philadelphia. CZW is known for its hardcore and often violent wrestling style, something Cole got a taste of quite literally on his very first day.

"Here I was, a high school senior, and they had me duct-taped to a turnbuckle, my shirt stripped away. Roughly 30 adult wrestlers then took turns delivering chops to my chest, turning it from a painful red to an almost worrisome purple," Cole explained, conveying the intensity of his initiation.

Adam Cole Thanksgiving Concealment Challenge

Compounding the ordeal's aftermath was the calendar's cruel timing; Thanksgiving was just around the corner. Cole found himself strategizing how to conceal the brutal marks on his chest from his family, fearful of alarming them with the wrestling world's harsh realities.

However, there was a light-hearted moment in the discussion when Maxwell Jacob Friedman, AEW World Champion and a fellow guest on the show, quipped that there might be enthusiasts willing to pay for the same treatment that Cole had gotten.

Now, both Cole and MJF are on the precipice of arguably their careers' most defining moments. They will be front and center at the colossal AEW All-In event this Sunday, unfolding at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London. Anticipation is at fever-pitch, with around 80,000 fans expected to attend.

The duo, after crafting a captivating onscreen bond in recent months, will join forces against Aussie Open, vying for the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship during the show's Buy-In segment. This camaraderie will then make way for competition when Cole stands toe-to-toe with MJF, aiming to dethrone him for the coveted AEW World Championship in what promises to be a riveting main event.