Adam Cole’s in-ring future with AEW is more uncertain than ever, and a new update makes it clear—he’s still not close to coming back.

During a Fightful Select Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp responded to a fan asking about Cole’s status. While many hoped the former TNT Champion was on the mend, Sapp painted a much more serious picture.

“Nowhere near returning last time I checked. I don’t want to get into too much private stuff, but he knew he was going to face issues dealing with this concussion and he has.”

Cole isn’t doing any coaching, producing, or behind-the-scenes work either—and for good reason.

“I’ve not heard of him doing coaching or anything like that and I don’t think traveling would help him recover.”

This backs up what many sources have been hearing privately for months: Cole is dealing with a tough recovery, and AEW is giving him all the time he needs. But what happens next is unclear, especially with his absence already affecting the company’s direction.

Back in July, Dave Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio that Cole’s abrupt exit from AEW All In: Texas wasn’t part of any storyline. It was a legitimate scare that played out in real time. According to Meltzer, Cole was cleared to compete as late as Friday night. Then everything changed overnight.

“So what happened is, again, it’s like—I don’t know that it’s a concussion, but what happened to him would lead one to believe it was a concussion, OK? But I don’t know that. Like, look, Friday night he was still doing the match. And it wasn’t like it was touch and go. You know, maybe yes, maybe no. I mean, if he was diagnosed with a concussion Friday night, he’s not doing the match. That’s just reality. They’re not going to let anyone—especially with his history—go out there. Absolutely not.”

Meltzer said Cole woke up Saturday feeling symptoms that made it impossible to wrestle, and there was no internal debate about whether he’d perform.

“Saturday morning, he woke up and something had happened. And it was just like—he can’t do the match. And he needs to take time off. And it wasn’t a debate. It wasn’t his call. It wasn’t Tony saying, ‘Can you just go through and drop the title?’ It was like, no. It was a no.”

Both Cole and Tony Khan were visibly shaken during the post-show media appearance. Meltzer added:

“Tony’s reaction, as best I could tell, was—he was really shaken up. And Adam was shaken up. You could tell from the interview. I think what he said was that he doesn’t want to make a rash decision or anything, but it was a scary situation.”

With no firm timeline and no backstage involvement, Adam Cole’s role in AEW is effectively frozen. While Khan’s loyalty may keep him employed, it’s unclear what the future holds—especially if his recovery continues at this pace.

What do you think AEW should do with Adam Cole’s role while he recovers? Should they bring him on camera in a non-wrestling capacity or give him complete space to heal? Sound off in the comments below.

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