Adam Pearce Regrets Nothing

Five-time NWA World-Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce had a long road getting back to WWE. He made several appearances as an enhancement talent in the late 1990s but soon got burned and he left the company. After being urged by friends like Kevin Kelly and Christopher Daniels not to give up on professional wrestling, he found his talents were better utilized on the independent scene.

Pearce traveled around the California independent circuit for a handful of years where he feuded with the likes of Chris Hero, Frankie Kazarian, and Joey Ryan then found himself in Mexico and Japan battling with Rey Mysterio Sr. among others.

Pearce found his first taste of greater notoriety during his five year stint in Ring of Honor from ’05-’10. Adam was ordained the Lieutenant Commissioner of ROH by then Commissioner Jim Cornette and worked a captivating story line which was eventually a part of ROH’s battle for supremacy against Combat Zone Wrestling. He locked horns with Necro Butcher and once again, Chris Hero, during this time and turned a lot of attention toward a company that had yet to really make its mark. In essence, Pearce was instrumental in establishing ROH’s early greater awareness.

Therefore, ROH fans today should certainly thank Adam for his work in this regard. If Ring of Honor had a Hall of Fame, Pearce’s name would be a first ballet nominee for sure. He has already been inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Cauliflower Alley Club the previous year.

During the same time he was taking over ROH, Pearce was also a mainstay in the National Wrestling Alliance where he became their World Heavyweight Champion five times over. He feuded with names like Sean Waltman, Blue Demon Jr., and Daniel Bryan all the while putting on wrestling clinics and leaving fans more than thoroughly entertained in the process. He found himself Rack Bombing and spike-piledriving his way to #44 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s list of best singles wrestlers in 2008 and he was on a hot streak which continued until he vacated his NWA World Heavyweight Title when officials refused to allow him to defend his championship during the final match of a “Best of Seven Series” against Colt Cabana.

Pearce had a cup of coffee in many other independent promotions including Juggalo Championship Wrestling, WFX, and even got his face on TNA’s product for a very short time. Adam eventually announced his retirement in 2014 with his final match being against Colt Cabana at an indie show in California.

Pearce now finds himself in a position where he can not only thrive in the wrestling industry once more, but also help cultivate a new crop of talent and prime them for greatness. He’s working as a trainer in NXT, and is loving every day of his life as proof from the recent social media post below. He is happy with his life’s path that brought him back to WWE, and regrets nothing which should be everybody’s goal.

He snapped a selfie with a Sean Waltman who he once had battles with while in the NWA over a decade ago. This just goes to show that if you don’t wind up where you want to be, hard work will cause life to put you where you belong.