Adam Cole is steering clear of The Diamond Mine.
After three months of anticipation, The Diamond Mine was officially unveiled on the June 22 episode of NXT. Led by Malcolm Bivens, the group consists of Roderick Strong, Tyler Rust, and Hideki Suzuki. Their "debut" came when Strong - flanked by Rust and Suzuki - attacked Kushida following his match with Kyle O'Reilly. Bivens then entered the ring to say, "this is Diamond Mine" before handing Strong the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
Speaking with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp (full interview above), Adam Cole said that he is excited to see his former Undisputed Era faction-mate get the opportunity to showcase a whole new side of himself. Cole called Strong a freak of nature and noted that he has been training hard.
"Yeah, yeah. So, for me to see Roddy in this role, though, is really exciting," Cole began. "‘Cause I know Roderick has really been doing a lot of training. Quite a bit of MMA training and he is a stud. Again, when it comes to bell-to-bell, in the ring and intensity and conditioning and cardio, he’s a freak of nature. So, I think for Roddy to be in this role, not only in a group but leading a group like this, is going to be great for him. I think we’re going to see a whole new side of Roderick Strong, which has me excited to watch. But, yeah, I am in no rush to get in the ring with super fired-up Diamond Mine Roddy."
Strong wasn't the only UE member Cole discussed, as he also spoke about Kyle O'Reilly. After a punishing Unsanctioned Match at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, the two are set to do battle again at Great American Bash on Tuesday, July 6th. As for whether or not Cole and O'Reilly's real-life friendship affects the force with which they hit each other inside the ring, the former NXT Champion had this to say:
"Yeah, that's such a good question because it's strange because you definitely hit each other a little bit harder because you know there's not going to be any issues. But at the same time, under no circumstance do I ever want to put him in a situation where I feel like I could ever seriously hurt him. But at the same time, I feel that way about everybody I step into the ring with. You're right, there is this fine line where, if there's an idea or something where it could really put him in danger, I might be more apt to jump in and be like, 'Hey man, I don't want you to get hurt.' But at the same time, we're blasting each other, so..."
Fightful will have live coverage of NXT: Great American Bash on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, beginning at 5 p.m. PST. You can check out our YouTube Channel immediately after the show for Alex Pawlowski's Sour Graps review.
You can check out UpUpDownDown at this link, and Adam Cole will be in action Tuesday against Kyle O'Reilly on the USA Network, when NXT brings you Great American Bash.
