Michael Cole admits that he’s never pretended to be a pro wrestling announcer throughout his 28-year career with the WWE.
Since Vince McMahon left the company in 2022, Michael Cole has found a new lease on life. He has clearly been enjoying himself calling the WWE shows, no longer being shouted at through his ear by the former WWE Chairman.
However, despite his renaissance in commentary, Michael Cole does not consider himself to be a professional wrestling announcer. He recently appeared on Impaulsive with Logan Paul to talk about this and clarify his role in the WWE.
Michael Cole said he isn’t an announcer but a narrator, a storyteller and multiple other things. He added that one of his jobs is to educate the new audience brought in by Netflix and teach them who the characters in WWE are.
Michael Cole On His Role In WWE
“We’re an entertainment product, and it’s the emotional connection—whether you’re a bad guy or a good guy—that makes the difference. It’s one of the reasons we’re on Netflix now.”
“I tell people all the time, I’ve never pretended in 28 years to be a professional wrestling announcer. I’m not, ” Michael Cole admitted. “I’m a narrator, a storyteller, a pitchman, a play-by-play announcer somewhat. I embellish stories, I create characters, I’m a jack of all trades.”
“I think that’s one of the reasons the fans hated me when I first started—because I wasn’t a professional wrestling announcer. But over the years, they’ve come to respect the work ethic. And they understand that, to your point, I’ve been a soundtrack for a couple of different generations now—not only within the business but also for the fans watching at home.”
“People are beginning to understand now that you don’t have to call every single move in a wrestling match,” Michael Cole continued. “You make sure you call the big spots, the big moments. But for me, it’s more important to explain to our audience who these guys are.”
“Especially with Netflix, we have so many new viewers tuning in. Everywhere we travel, people come up to us and say, ‘I’ve never watched WWE before. I never understood what it was. I thought it was just a bunch of old men running around in tights.’ Now, they’re realizing it’s actually an episodic television show, week in and week out.”
“One of my jobs now, which I love, is educating this new audience—helping them understand who these superstars are. Like, who’s Logan Paul? Who’s John Cena? Who’s Roman Reigns? But I have to do that in a way that doesn’t insult the old-school fans who already know all that.” added Michael Cole.
