Adam Cole Makes NXT Debut at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, Attacks Drew McIntyre

Adam Cole made his official WWE NXT debut Saturday night at the conclusion of NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III.

After Drew McIntyre defeated Bobby Roode to become NXT champion, Cole hit the ring with Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish. Cole then took out McIntyre with a superkick, as seen in this GIF courtesy of WWE's official Twitter account:

Cole picked up the NXT Championship, signaling his intention to make a run at McIntyre's title.

Earlier in the night, O'Reilly and Fish attacked Sanity after they won the NXT Tag Team Championships.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported on Aug. 14 that Cole had signed with WWE after months of speculation, and several other outlets confirmed soon after.

While Cole is just 28 years old, he joins WWE as one of the most popular and accomplished wrestlers the independent circuit has seen in years.

The bulk of Cole's success came in Ring of Honor, where he was a three-time ROH world champion in addition to winning the ROH television title once.

Cole was also the longest-reigning Pro Wrestling Guerrilla world champion of all time with a remarkable 538-day title run from 2012 until 2014.

The Panama City, Florida, native made his mark in New Japan Pro Wrestling as well due to its working relationship with ROH, joining the Bullet Club stable until he was kicked out in favor of Marty Scurll.

After Cole's ROH contract expired, he did a number of interviews and made it clear that he was considering all of his options.

On the subject of WWE, Cole made his affinity for NXT known and wasn't shy about his desire to potentially join WWE's developmental brand.

According to ESPN.com's Michael Wonsover, Cole said his preferred WWE path was to start in NXT prior to moving up to the main roster:

"I would want to [start in NXT] because, first of all, I'm a fan of NXT. I think the brand is cool. I think the TakeOver shows are awesome. I think the fans are great. I love the roster of guys. I think it's something that's going to be looked at as a very special time in pro wrestling, so I want to be a part of it. Secondly, of course in a perfect world if I went to NXT, I wouldn't want to be there forever; but I like the idea of going there and performing there and getting accustomed to the WWE audience and them getting accustomed to me and then eventually making the move to Raw or SmackDown. I think it'd be a lot of fun, and I think I would really enjoy working in front of that audience."

NXT has a hardcore wrestling audience that is familiar with the independent scene, which is why so many of the biggest indie names are immediately embraced.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are perfect examples of that, and Cole has taken a similar career path that will likely result in a huge following.

Cole seemingly has all the tools needed to be a massive star under the WWE umbrella, from his look to his in-ring ability to his mic skills.

NXT will be a great place for him to continue honing his craft, and it may not be long before he is holding the NXT championship.

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