Michael Cole missed the third TV show of his legendary career on October 16.
The season premiere of WWE RAW opened with commentators Kevin Patrick and Wade Barrett welcoming fans to the show. Michael Cole was conspicuous by his absence, and Patrick noted that he was filling in for Cole. Further details were not immediately provided.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider reports that, per sources, Cole previously requested off this week due to a personal commitment. Johnson stated that the absence was not due to an illness. The report noted that Patrick had been slated to handle lead commentary on Monday’s show for “many weeks”, and Cole is set to return on October 23.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful also reported that Cole requested time off for a previous obligation a while back, according to WWE sources.
Catch up on our coverage of the October 16 episode of WWE RAW here.
