Did Bryan Danielson Overshadow Adam Cole's Debut?

When AEW produced All Out 2021, it immediately registered with fans as one of the greatest PPVs in wrestling history. In addition to a number of excellent matches and moments, the show was highlighted by multiple surprise debuts. Yes, Ruby Soho had a great moment, but all the more so, fans seeing Adam Cole and then Bryan Danielson debut immediately after set the wrestling world on fire. But the question remains as to whether Cole’s big moment was dampened by Danielson appearing so shortly after he came out to join The Elite?

Adam Cole Is A Major Acquisition For AEW

It’s not as though AEW signing Adam Cole isn’t a big deal. While the company has picked up a number NXT alumni, in addition to signing some under-utilized WWE talents like Shawn Spears, Cole is different. He had a decorated run that included reigns as NXT Champion and leading the Undisputed Era that was the focal point of much of the black and gold brand’s booking for three years. That’s all in addition to him being a near-universally agreed upon special talent in the ring and on the mic, who had his fair share of accomplishments before ever signing with WWE.

Cole choosing to leave behind the WWE system when a main roster call up was, by most accounts, imminent marks a major score for AEW. On top of all of that, there’s a real argument that his unannounced debut at All Out was more surprising than Ruby Soho’s or Bryan Danielson’s. That’s not because it’s so shocking Cole would choose AEW, but because he had wrestled a high profile match for NXT as recently as two weeks before. Indeed, Cole’s arrival would surely have sent fans home satisfied in and of itself to cap a great PPV.

Adam Cole Was Positioned As A “Second Fiddle”

When Adam Cole first walked out at the end of All Out, he seemingly interrupted Kenny Omega’s arrogant promo about how no one stood a chance against him. Things took a turn as Cole revealed himself to be allied with The Elite and cemented his place not as someone who would stand up to them, but a new addition to make the faction even more potent.

Related: 10 Dream Matches For Adam Cole In AEW

Cole’s connection to the group makes a fair bit of sense given his common roots with most of the members as alumni of The Bullet Club, and all the more so given Cole’s best work historically tends to have been as a heel. However, there are those critics who have also pointed out that, whereas Cole had a claim to being the top guy in NXT, he immediately seemed subjugated to Omega as the second fiddle for The Elite in AEW.

Bryan Danielson Got The Final Surprise Debut Of The Night

There’s little question that Bryan Danielson got the biggest debut of All Out, if only because he was the last new face to show up that evening. It’s easy enough to surmise, then, that he was positioned in a higher profile spot as Cole for getting the finale, not to mention that he was immediately positioned in opposition to, rather than in league with the reigning world champion.

Some fans might view this positioning as a slight toward Cole. Indeed, it wasn’t necessarily essential that both men debut on the same night, and Cole’s first appearance or Danielson’s could’ve been pushed to a later date to preserve how special the other’s felt. However, there’s also the reality that Danielson is a former world champion and WrestleMania main eventer from WWE. For as much of a star as Cole is, and quite arguably even being a stronger all around talent than Danielson at the present moment, there’s still little question Danielson is the objectively bigger star.

Adam Cole And Bryan Danielson’s Positioning May All Be Part Of A Larger Plan

In evaluating whether Adam Cole was overshadowed by Bryan Danielson upon their debuts at AEW All Out, it’s worth remembering that we don’t have the whole story yet. Their initial placements have Danielson in a higher profile role, but that certainly could change as the months, if not years go by.

Indeed, Danielson is presently feuding with AEW Champion Kenny Omega. But what happens after that point? Maybe Danielson wins, and before long he’ll need a top challenger—a role Cole could readily fit into, and perhaps even become champion out of. On the other hand, maybe Danielson loses his rivalry with Omega. It would only make sense one of his next steps could be to feud with another top member of The Elite—Cole—who may win or lose, and may move onto the title picture from there himself. In other words, AEW may not have set up Cole as a lesser star than Danielson so much as they fed into each man's current standing in the eyes of fans, only to set up different directions in the longer range future.

In the end, there’s little denying that Adam Cole had a bit less impact upon his AEW debut because Bryan Danielson, the bigger star, got the bigger debut moments later. However, the future has yet to be written, and we may have only seen the first chapter of a much longer story of Cole’s success with his new promotion.