Adam Cole delivered a heartfelt and difficult message to fans during AEW All In: Texas, confirming that he has vacated the TNT Championship due to a serious health concern. Cole revealed that he will be stepping away from the ring indefinitely and expressed uncertainty about whether he will ever wrestle again. The announcement sparked a wave of emotional reactions from across the wrestling world, with friends, colleagues, and fans sending messages of support.

Among those paying tribute was WWE star Johnny Gargano, who shared a touching post reflecting on their long-standing friendship that dates back over 15 years. The two spent significant time together both on the independent circuit and in NXT, where their bond grew even stronger.

Gargano wrote:

“I’ve known @adamcolepro for over 15 years at this point. We were already good friends from our time on the indies, but even more so during our time in NXT. You’d be hard pressed to find someone I spent more time with on a daily basis. We’d go to the Performance Center, sit and watch wrestling with Shawn, eat lunch, then work out with @fla_hayes, and drive to the local Florida coconut shows together on the weekends. We’d always talk about getting a chance to work together on a big stage on those drives. We got that chance when we main evented TakeOver: New York. To my knowledge.. one of the highest grossing NXT events of all time. That night was already incredibly special for me but the fact I got to share it with one of my best friends made that moment mean even more. Nothing but love and well wishes to not just one of my favorite opponents but favorite human beings. 🖤💛”

Other notable figures, including Britt Baker, Tommaso Ciampa, and Christopher Daniels, also expressed their support for Cole in the wake of his announcement.

Later in the night, AEW crowned a new TNT Champion in a four-way match. Daniel Garcia triumphed over Kyle Fletcher, Sammy Guevara, and Dustin Rhodes to claim the title.