Adam Cole’s Size and AEW’s Risky Style Blamed for Career-Threatening Injuries

Vince Russo didn’t mince words when discussing Adam Cole’s injury woes and what he sees as the bigger problem plaguing AEW’s in-ring product.

On the latest episode of Writing with Russo, the former WWE writer pointed the finger at the company’s high-risk style and claimed it’s setting wrestlers up for disaster—especially the smaller ones.

Cole recently vacated the AEW TNT Championship and gave what many fans took as a farewell speech. Co-host Chris broke down Cole’s brutal timeline: a leg injury kept him out for a year, then a concussion sidelined him for another nine months. This latest setback reportedly came from a botched apron powerbomb, leading Russo to call it a “pseudo retirement speech.” Russo took things further, arguing that physical size plays a huge role in these recurring injuries.

“Absolutely. And again, bro, we’re talking about—I hate to say it and I’m always the bad guy—I don’t care. Look at the size of these guys. Look at the size of Bryan Danielson and how many times he’s gotten hurt. Look at the size of these guys. That plays into it.”

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He then explained how the non-stop high-flying action only increases the risk, especially for smaller performers.

“The size and the being off your feet and the more—the more moves when you don’t have control of your body and people are throwing you around… bro, all that—all that adds up to early retirement.”

Even Seth Rollins wasn’t spared from Russo’s critique. While Rollins isn’t as small as Cole or Danielson, his high-risk offense still landed him on Russo’s radar.

“Bro, I look at what just happened to Seth Rollins. It was on a flippy. He did something where he left his feet, bro. Every time you leave your feet and you’re landing on them, you land the wrong way, bro, you’re going to blow a knee out. And he’s blown knees out before.”

Russo then questioned whether legends from the past ever put themselves in similar situations.

“Somebody said this the other day, and I’m—I’m going to challenge the same thing: Chris, can you remember one time when Rock ever left his feet? Not that I know of. It might have happened, but not that I recall. Did Triple H ever leave his feet?”

He pointed out that in older eras, the only time a wrestler would go airborne was for a dropkick.

“You know, bro, the only time in the past a wrestler really left his feet was to deliver a dropkick. A dropkick. That’s when they left their feet. Now, every time you leave your feet, you are increasing the odds of blowing out a knee. Especially if you’re not a big guy.”

To Russo, the problem isn’t just the risk—it’s how common those risks have become.

“When you’re doing this every single match to the point that it means absolutely nothing… here’s what you’re doing: you’re cutting your career short.”

He ended by praising old-school wrestlers like The Undertaker and Shane McMahon, who only used big moves sparingly to make them feel special—and keep themselves safe in the process.

Adam Cole’s future may be uncertain right now, but Vince Russo thinks the writing has been on the wall for a long time—and he says the industry needs to stop sacrificing careers for highlight reels.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.