Late last night, news broke that Adam Cole's contract with WWE had actually expired after NXT Great American Bash on July 6.

Reports have indicated that the former NXT Champion signed a short-term extension with the company which will seem him work until NXT TakeOver 36 on August 22 before re-evaluating his future.

While Adam Cole's future is up in the air right now, a new report has emerged suggesting that in re-signing Cole to the new short-term deal, WWE forfeited any non-compete clause that Cole would have been subjected to.

talkSPORT is reporting that Adam Cole managed to "kill the non-compete clause" that he would have been subject to when he put pen to paper for his short-term deal with the company last month.

The site is also reporting that Cole agreed to extend his contract with WWE in order to put former Undisputed Era stablemate Kyle O'Reilly over at NXT TakeOver 36 later on this month.

talkSPORT understands Cole extended his deal in order to put over Kyle O’Reilly at TakeOver.

It’s not common practice for their to be a non-compete with a contract’s expiry, but as part of the extension, Cole also managed to ‘kill the non-compete clause’ he would have had to fulfil.

Adam Cole's WWE contract shockingly expired last month

It's important to note that it isn't 100% nailed on that Adam Cole will be leaving WWE later this month, with all reports indicating that Cole will be deciding on his future after NXT TakeOver.

While offers from AEW and other promotions will almost certainly come his way, there's every chance that Cole accepts the offer that WWE and NXT boss Triple H will inevitably make him.

As noted several times, the future is rather unclear for Adam Cole right now, so make sure you stay tuned to GiveMeSport for any additional information or updates on the matter over the coming weeks.