Todd Pettengill saw something special in Michael Cole, and it’s paid off in spades almost thirty years later.
Pettengill was a guest on Wednesday Morning Wake-Up with RJ City on WWE’s The Bump, where he spoke about his WWE departure in 1997 and Michael Cole’s arrival. Pettengill explained that he knew Cole from working in radio in New York and thought he’d be a good fit as a replacement, noting that Cole’s tenure proves it was a good call.
“You know it’s funny, he was my news guy at the aforementioned Fly 92 in Albany, New York, on the wakeup service. Huge wrestling fan, and I said ‘this is great.’ He was working at CBS Radio in New York at the time when I was at [New York’s 95.5 WPLJ] and I said, ‘this guy is great’ and it worked out,” Pettengill said. “Almost 30 years later, he’s still going strong.”
City also mentioned Pettengill’s final event for the company was SummerSlam 1997, where he and Cole had a brief “passing of the torch” moment on air. Asked what it’s like coming back for a second time now that he’s hosting NXT TakeOver: In Your House, Pettengill said “it feels fantastic” and closed by calling the segment with City “the pinnacle of my return.”
Todd Pettengill will host NXT TakeOver: In Your House on June 13. Pettengill was featured on last year’s event in lead-in promos and the event pre-show, but did not appear live on the broadcast. Pettengill worked with WWE from 1993 to 1997 and on the inaugural In Your House event on May 14, 1995.
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