WWE Smackdown Announcer Michael Cole revealed today that he has 65 percent hearing loss.
He appeared on The Pat McAfee Show with Pat McAfee to discuss sports. After a commercial break, McAfee joked with Cole about being deaf, and Cole acknowledged that he had lost partial hearing. He and McAfee also briefly discussed if his hearing loss resulted from his career in WWE or years as a news reporter before WWE.
“…I’m actually like 65 percent hearing loss, said Cole. He continued, “But that’s why they make these special in-ear pieces that go under my headsets on air, so I can actually hear.”
Michael Cole on The Pat McAfee Show
His appearance on The Pat McAfee Show gave a different look at Cole that Wrestling fans don’t see in WWE. Dressed in a Sweatsuit and flip-flops, he discussed his love for New York sports teams, particularly the New York Jets. He also spoke candidly about his career in the WWE and how he presently deals with the workload.
He discussed the challenge of covering Monday Night Raw, Smackdown, Pay-Per-Views, and NXT. Last year, WWE also promoted Cole to Vice President of Announcing. While he completed his tasks, Cole admitted that it was overwhelming for him. Now Cole focuses on Smackdown and PPV’s while also helping other announcers at their job. However, he shared that he has trouble keeping track of what’s going on in the WWE.
“…I don’t remember last Friday night. Until tomorrow when I can actually sit down and review what happened on the show last week,” said Cole. He explained that he has so much happening during the week, he’ll review last week’s Smackdown hours before a new episode.
Next June, it will be Cole’s 25th year as a WWE Announcer. He shared that his goal is to make it to 25 years with the company regarding his future. He also wants to help other announcers grow in their roles.
“June will be 25 years on the air here. I want to make 25 years because I don’t think there is anybody at least in our line of work that’s been on the air for 52 weeks a year for 25 straight years,” said Cole.
It’s unclear what Cole will do after next year’s anniversary. For now, He wants to be the best announcer he can be, even with his hearing loss.
