The Origins Of Adam Cole's "Bay Bay" Catchphrase, Explained
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Adam Cole recently made a surprise return during AEW Dynamite where he announced that he is back and won't go anywhere until he becomes the best wrestler on the planet. When Cole made his entrance, like any other time, he received a huge reaction from the fans. First, he did the "boom" pose on the apron and then the "Adam Cole Bay Bay" part, where the crowd also chanted with him. Cole has been using this catchphrase for over a decade now, and many fans don't know how it came about.
RELATED: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Adam Cole's Career Before WWE & AEW
Chris Jericho & Joey Matthews Were Adam Cole's Inspirations
In multiple interviews, Cole has said that he's always been a huge Chris Jericho fan. Those who've been following Jericho's career since his WCW days will remember that he used to scream "come on, baby!" after taking his opponent down during his matches. Cole liked the obnoxiousness of it and this inspired him to do "Adam Cole Bay Bay".
Another wrestler who served as an inspiration for this catchphrase was Joey Matthews. One time, he was working for Maryland Championship Wrestling and Cole saw Matthews chanting "Joey Matthews" several times with his fists up in the air. He would do this enough times to annoy the fans, and also make sure that they remembered his name. These two wrestlers helped Cole create his catchphrase, which became very popular over time, even though he never intended it to become a catchphrase or something that the fans would chant alongside him. Originally, he used to do "Adam Cole baby" but later it became "Adam Cole bay bay."
Fans Didn't Chant "Adam Cole Bay Bay" For Many Years
While Adam Cole started using this catchphrase in 2009, it didn’t catch on for the next few years during his ROH days. The fans would initially boo Cole whenever he would use this catchphrase, or barely react at all. In 2014, Cole suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery. He returned to ROH a few months later and fans missed him. After returning, Cole continued doing the “Adam Cole bay bay” thing, but this time fans started doing it alongside him, and it took off since then.
“What happened was, I was in Ring Of Honor and I needed to take like four months off to get my shoulder, tricep, and elbow repaired," Cole told the #DORK podcast." When I came back, again that beautiful thing about pro wrestling where if you’re gone for a bit, not too long, but just for a little bit, they have a chance to miss you. So when I came back, the fans were really excited and they knew that I did, ‘Adam Cole bay bay,’ so they started doing it then. For some reason, it has just completely caught on, and now, it’s like what I am known for in a lot of ways.” (h/t Wrestling Inc.)
RELATED: Adam Cole's 10 Best ROH Matches, According To Cagematch.net
Adam Cole Took The Catchphrase With Him To NXT![Adam Cole NXT Champion Cropped]()
When Cole first joined NXT, he received a loud reaction from the fans, and seeing their excitement, he did "Adam Cole bay bay" and fans responded pretty well to that. He became the face of NXT and the brand’s longest-reigning champion at 403 days. Cole was also the leader of the highly successful Undisputed Era.
It wouldn’t be entirely wrong to say that he’s more known for his catchphrase than some of his other accomplishments as a wrestler. Right now, he’s one of the most popular wrestlers in the world. Tony Khan is also a huge fan of his, and it only seems to be a matter of time before Cole wins the AEW World Championship.
