It sounds like another prominent wrestler is about to enter the open market.

The contract of former NXT Champion Adam Cole reportedly expired earlier this month. Despite apparent pushes from the company to keep him, it sounds as though his storied tenure with the WWE may be ending.

According to a report from Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, the WWE sent out "an internal memo this morning via email, advising that Adam Cole was no longer with the company." PWInsider had reported that the company "considered" Cole gone as of last last Tuesday.

Because he wasn't outright released, Cole isn't under a non-compete, so he can now sign wherever he wishes. AEW is obviously a strong possibility to land Cole. His girlfriend, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., is one of the company's top stars. She currently holds the AEW Women's World Championship.

AEW landed former WWE Champion CM Punk two weeks ago, and they're reportedly set to bring in Hall of Famer Ric Flair and Daniel Bryan very soon as well. So it wouldn't be a surprise if Tony Khan and company managed to bring in yet another former marquee WWE superstar.

RELATED: Kenny Omega Fuels Rumors Adam Cole Is Headed To AEW

Adam Cole Bay Bay pose

It was previously reported that Cole signed a contract extension so that he could finish his feud with Kyle O'Reilly at NXT TakeOver: 36. The two stars squared off in a two-out-of-three falls match, which O'Reilly won.

AEW May Be The Best Option

Cole will go down as one of the most influential superstars in the history of WWE NXT. But at the end of the day, the 32-year-old doesn't have much more to accomplish on the brand. Unless WWE proposes to bring him up on the main roster soon, Cole's best bet may be to join AEW.

WWE, unfortunately, has a long history of poorly booking top NXT talents once they join Raw or SmackDown. In NXT, Cole would most certainly flourish as a top star right away, and the success of former WWE talents in AEW could very well inspire him to make the move. We'll just have to see how this all plays out.

NEXT: Roman Reigns Reaches Another Milestone As Universal Champion