My two main trainers were John Dahmer and DJ Hyde. DJ Hyde

Hear, O disciple of endurance, the words of Adam Cole, who spoke with reverence for his beginnings: “My two main trainers were John Dahmer and DJ Hyde. DJ Hyde mainly taught me how to be tough: I mean, the beatings that he used to give the students as far as wrestling initiations go were as tough as they come, and I'm thankful for it.” This utterance, though it speaks of hardship and bruises, is not a lament but a hymn of gratitude. It reveals the timeless truth that greatness is born not in comfort, but in trial; not in ease, but in the fire of discipline.

The origin of these words lies in Cole’s earliest days in the wrestling ring, where he endured the harsh training of his mentors. In that sacred arena, there was no shortcut to mastery—only pain, sweat, and the long schooling of the body and spirit. DJ Hyde’s “beatings” were not cruelty for its own sake, but rituals of initiation, tests of endurance, designed to strip away weakness and reveal the strength within. To endure them was to be transformed; to be grateful for them was to recognize that such trials are the foundations of resilience.

This principle has been echoed throughout the ages. Consider the tale of Sparta, where young warriors were taken at a tender age to the agoge, a life of austerity, hardship, and discipline. They were beaten, starved, and tested endlessly. To the outside world, it seemed harsh beyond measure, yet from that furnace arose warriors whose courage and endurance were unmatched. Like the Spartans, Adam Cole looks back on his own trials not with bitterness but with thankfulness, for those who endure the harshest beginnings are prepared for the fiercest battles.

Notice also the humility embedded in his words: “I’m thankful for it.” Many would curse the pain, resent the hardship, or seek comfort. But Cole, like all who understand the way of growth, bows in gratitude before the very trials that others might despise. For he knows that toughness is not granted freely—it is forged through fire. Gratitude transforms pain into treasure, suffering into strength, and trial into triumph.

The lesson here is clear: do not despise hardship. The mentor who pushes you beyond your limits, the struggle that tests your will, the initiation that strips you bare—these are not your enemies, but your teachers. Be thankful for them, for they prepare you for the storms ahead. Without such trials, your victories would collapse like fragile towers; with them, your foundation becomes unshakable.

Therefore, O listener, embrace the teachers who demand more of you, even when their lessons are harsh. Welcome the challenges that bruise your pride and stretch your endurance. Remember that the strongest steel is tempered in the hottest flame. And when you rise, do not forget to give thanks, for gratitude completes the circle of growth—it honors both the struggle and the one who endured it.

So let the words of Adam Cole endure: “He taught me how to be tough… and I’m thankful for it.” In them lies the eternal truth that greatness is not handed down but earned, that toughness is the child of hardship, and that gratitude is the mark of the truly strong. Carry this lesson within your heart, and you too will find that even the blows of life can become blessings, shaping you into one who cannot be broken.