Hall of Fame commentator Jim Ross has shared his take on how Michael Cole was able to get noticed as a play-by-play guy.
JR was the voice of WWE for many years but Vince McMahon knew he’d need another PBP ace. Cole was groomed to not only keep things fresh but to also fill in whenever Ross would get sick.
Today, Cole is WWE’s top play-by-play commentator and Vince has relied on him for several years. More recently, he has been praised for his chemistry with color commentator Pat McAfee on SmackDown.
Jim Ross Talks Michael Cole’s Early Days
Taking to his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross discussed how Michael Cole was able to get ahead early on in his career.
“He was always prepared and he writes notes that are minuscule. I couldn’t copy his homework if my life depended on it, so to speak.
“But he was always well-prepared, always had some notes, always had some information there that he could utilize, pull it out, use it pretty much anytime. The preparedness I thought was great.
“I’m not saying anything — his voice needed to continue to be cultivated but I thought he was a great student, great student of trying to learn how to become a good storyteller as a broadcaster in pro wrestling.”
While Cole has seemingly become a WWE mainstay, Jim Ross eventually made his way to AEW. He has been out of the booth due to skin cancer treatment but he will be making his return on the Dec. 29 episode of Dynamite.
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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.
Michael Cole has been working with WWE since 1995 and has been a commentator for the majority of this period. He has been there and done it all, rising through the ranks behind the scenes. It is only natural, however, that you begin to feel a little jaded, or stale after so long. That doesn’t mean your work slips, or you’re unhappy, just that things begin to feel a little routine.
Talking during a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, Michael Cole spoke openly about how working alongside McAfee in the commentary booth has changed his career.
“You have completely revitalized my career.” Michael Cole said. I’ve been doing this for almost 25 years and have seen and been part of everything in WWE. You go through different partners and everyone I have worked with has been great and have all brought a different style to the product. JBL, unbelievable partner. Corey Graves, incredible talent. You’re different than all of those guys because you’re a true fan and you bring that enthusiasm to the product and seeing how you’ve been acting over the past couple of months has really revitalized what I do and I realize that I have to step up my game to keep up with what you’re doing from an enthusiastic standpoint and that’s what I’m trying to do. It’s been a lot of fun for me and it’s been really different. Thank you for breathing life into this old man.”
Michael Cole is the Voice of WWE
There have been some memorable men sitting in the WWE announcer’s booth. However, few have had the longevity Michael Cole has. From playing the heel commentator to leading the ship through many different eras, he has proven himself to be dependable and competent.
He will long be remembered for his deft handling of the Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler incident, along with many other moments during his career.
Bringing in someone with the character of McAfee for Michael Cole to play off makes a great pairing and in its own right, has many avenues for possible character building and storytelling within the commentary booth.
WWE commentator Corey Graves recently discussed Michael Cole and the botched call from the WrestleMania 37 Night 1 main event. The match between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair ended when Belair hit a KOD on the reigning Champion; however Cole incorrectly called that Banks had kicked out.
This came after a number of WWE Superstars praised Cole for saying that this was the first ever WrestleMania main event featuring two black women.
“If there’s anybody that’s truly unshakable, it’s [Michael] Cole,” Graves stated on the WWE After the Bell podcast. “Cole felt bad, he felt terrible but I can relate. I almost thought the same thing, from our vantage point, it was not crystal clear.”
Corey Graves on Michael Cole
“I’m not making excuses cause it was what it is, it didn’t take anything away from the amazing moment, it was reality” Corey Graves continued. “It was a very genuine real reaction. Take into consideration, yes we have the monitor, yes we have audio in our headphones, but we’re also in a stadium full of 20,000 people.”
“Any wrestler’s book that you have ever read says being in a stadium is very different than an arena” Corey added. “Because it takes a second, the sound has to leave and come back before anybody can truly register. I myself, wasn’t sure.”
Graves finished by defending the call from Michael Cole, saying that there are always a number of instances of finishers being kicked out of during a WrestleMania match.
“Hey, it’s the main event of WrestleMania, people have kicked out of each others finishers 35 times already tonight” Graves concluded. “Why wouldn’t this be any different? It was a genuine shock after that so everyone, leave Michael Cole alone.”
credit WWE After the Bell and a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
Longtime WWE commentator Michael Cole has reportedly received a promotion within WWE, and it comes with a new corporate title. Cole has officially been promoted to WWE’s Vice President of Announcing.
Michael Cole has been a staple in the WWE’s announcing department for over 20 years now. He got his start with the company back in 1997, where he began as a backstage interviewer. When SmackDown launched in 1999, Cole was selected to be the program’s play-by-play announcer.
He’d go on to form iconic pairings with the likes of Tazz and WWE Hall Of Famer JBL. Over the years, Cole has established himself as “the voice of WWE” and climbed the ladder backstage. He now hires, mentors, and produces other announcers within the company.
Aside from his work at the commentary table, Cole has very much been a team player, even getting involved inside the ring. Cole has taken bumps, played a part in angles, and even participated in matches.
Michael Cole owns a WrestleMania victory over Jerry “The King” Lawler from their match at WrestleMania 27 back in 2011. He won the match via disqualification. After a few more matches, Cole has remained comfortably behind the announce desk and now finds himself as WWE’s new Vice President of Announcing.
There have been lots of speculations and rumors of WWE shuffling their announce teams with the upcoming schedule changes. Now the company has confirmed that major change is coming to the commentary booth of both their premier brands.
The promotion recently released a press release on their official website where they confirmed the new announce teams for both Raw and SmackDown Live ahead of the upcoming drafts.
According to the announcement, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler will be returning to WWE programming as the analyst for Raw and he will be joined by 205 Live’s Vic Joseph and Dio Maddin on the commentary booth of the show.
On the other hand, Michael Cole, who has been the voice of
Raw for more than a decade will be moved to SmackDown Live for the play by play
duties of the show and he will have Corey Graves and Renee Young by his side.
No changes have been made to the commentary team of NXT and the Black and Yellow brand’s programming will continue to feature Mauro Ranallo with Beth Phoenix and Nigel McGuiness.
This is only the first of the many major changes we might
see on the WWE programming in the next couple of weeks as the company
reshuffles its weekly schedule.
With The Blue Branded Show moving to Friday nights on Fox and the drafts shaking up the roster for both the premier shows in Raw and SmackDown, one can only imagine what the brands will look like once its all said and done.
Last night’s RAW dark match featured a Six-Man Tag Team match between the teams of Bobby Lashley, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Elias.
After the match was over, Elias came out to the ring and got the opportunity to sing to the crowd. You can check out the video here below:
Michael Cole has been teasing Matt Hardy and his “Woken” persona for quite some time on WWE TV. Hardy has been also been teasing taking action against the RAW commentator for his comments recently. It seems that there are already “plans in motion” for that to happen very soon.
Reby Hardy recently took to Twitter to respond to a fan’s question on Twitter, asking when the “OBSOLETE MULE” Cole would finally be silenced. Here’s what she had to say:
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is widely considered the greatest professional wrestling commentator of all-time.
This WWE Legend has been the voice of the WWE for the majority of 20 years. However, just like any other television program, producers are always looking for the next new announcer/host and they like youth. The chairman of the sports entertainment company, Vince McMahon, is no different.
Ross was slowly but surely phased out for Michael Cole, who has been the main announcer for the WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night RAW, for the last decade.
The WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke with Sportskeeda to talk about various topics including fans of the WWE not enjoying Michael Cole’s work. Here is what he had to say:
“Fans today have a very unique voice, and they’re very willing to share it on social media. Michael works his ass off. He’s a good family man, he’s a company man, he works diligently to do his job. I respect him for all those things. I’ve always liked him, he’s a good dude, and folks won’t understand that. They only judge him for his television persona, rightly or wrongly. It’s kind of frustrating. When Michael Cole came on the scene, he was replacing me. Without sounding so overwhelmingly egotistic, that was challenging for him, because I was what the audience was accustomed to. Let’s not forget I had 19 years of establishing my body of work before I got to WWE at WrestleMania 9. I felt badly in a lot of ways for that, but there’s nothing I can do. Michael knows he does good work, and it’s a tough job right now.”
Ross added, “The key thing is to discover who you are and be that person. The more authentic one can be, I believe, the more successful they will become. Wrestling fans are very intelligent nowadays, they’ve always had a keen sense of the genre and the uniqueness of it. I think that the fans understand what’s going on, and they should be respected more by a lot of guys.”
Ross also talked about his work for New Japan Pro Wrestling, WrestleMania week and more. You can read the entire interview here.
Longtime WWE commentator Michael Cole has been the main announcer for the sports entertainment company for over a decade now.
He recently spoke with the Sky Sports Lock Up podcast to talk about various topics. As seen over the last few years, NXT TakeOver events have consistently stolen the show from WWE main roster pay-per-views.
It should be noted that these matches are practiced at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida in the weeks prior to the events in order to get the best match possible out of the performers.
Cole said that TakeOver is what he looks forward to the most during WrestleMania weekend outside of WrestleMania itself.
“I’d say, over the last two, three years, I think NXT TakeOver. I really love NXT. I have been part of that product since day one. I am on Triple H’s team to help build that brand. I work closely with the Announcers; we have some really good Announcers that came from that system; Corey Graves and Tom Phillips are two really good examples, so I’ve been part of that since it started. To me, that is where my heart lies, in NXT, especially for TakeOver because that sets the stage for WrestleMania, and to see these performers go out there in front of thousands and thousands of people in an incredible, pressure-filled weekend, and to see them each year steal the show, to me, it’s such a great moment.
Cole added, “To see the passion of the NXT Universe is incredible as well. To see where the brand has came in the last 5 years is absolutely incredible. That to me is always the highlight of my WrestleMania week.”
There are many talents that fans of the sports entertainment company want to see be called up to the main roster. Whether that means on SmackDown Live or the flagship show of the WWE, Monday Night Raw.
Cole was asked about who he would want to see be the latest among the superstar call-ups.
“I’m really big on the Iconic Duo of Billie [Kay] and Peyton [Royce]. They are on the cusp of something really great. They have developed quite the team; quite the ‘gimmick’ to use an old-school wrestlers term. I really think they are talented and I think there is going to be a place for them. Ember Moon is another one who I really think is going to be a player as part of the Women’s Evolution on the big roster, and I really have been impressed with the NXT Champion, Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas; he really has taken his game to a different level. His viciousness, his aggressiveness, he’s really going to be a player, too.
Cole also stated, “Finally, Aleister Black; I’ve followed his career for a decade now. I was so glad when we announced last year that he was going to be part of our programming. He is a guy who I really believe is going to take this brand to another level.”
Last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW ended with WWE showing The Ultimate Deletion between “Woken” Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt at the Hardy Family Compound. The segment received positive reviews from the professional wrestling world on Twitter, and Hardy noted himself in a Tweet that the Ultimate Deletion was trending #1 worldwide:
Tonight was much more than just a professional victory on #RAW for me..
It was an ENORMOUS PERSONAL VICTORY.
I couldn't have done it without YOU, my LOYAL #WOKENWarriors..#UltimateDELETION has been the #1 WORLDWIDE TREND for OVAH an hour now..
Hardy also responded to Michael Cole’s negativity before the segment aired. Cole apologized for the “obnoxious and surreal” segment WWE fans were about to witness. Hardy responded to Cole’s comments in a later Tweet:
Yeeeaassss, that was absolutely MAGICAL Great Commander. Now it is time to DELETE that JEJUNE ORANGUTANG Michael Cole. He is undoubtedly deletion worthy
– As noted, WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin opened Monday’s RAW 25 special by delivering Stunners to Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon in the opening segment. Austin talks to Mike Rome in this new RAW Fallout video.
Austin says Vince tried to proclaim that he didn’t need anyone’s help while Austin was a big part of the Attitude Era and Vince knows that, and that’s the bottom line. Austin goes on about how it feels good to be here after being out in Los Angeles for a few years. Austin says he showed up, he raised hell and gave a few Stunners for a few time. Austin says he enjoyed talking to the Superstars who are following down the path that he set and the guys that blazed a path before him. Austin says it feels like a big ass family reunion and he’s proud, and happy to be a part of it, to deliver a can of Whoop Ass for the city to watch. Austin then rips into Rome for not having more questions ready for him. Austin calls Rome a chump and tells him to go back and do his homework. Austin wants proper interview time next time he’s back and says Rome is just out of league. Austin calls Rome a piece of trash and rips him a few more times before ending the interview.
– Michael Cole announced 15,990 fans in attendance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for Monday’s RAW 25th Anniversary special. WWE did not announce an attendance number for the Manhattan Center’s Grand Ballroom.
– There were two WWE 205 Live dark matches for fans inside the Manhattan Center during the RAW 25 special. The matches aired during commercial breaks of matches at the Barclays Center. The first match saw Mustafa Ali defeat Lince Dorado in around 2 minutes. The second match saw Hideo Itami and Akira Tozawa go at it with Tony Nese and Drew Gulak until they brawled into the backstage area. They later brawled back out into the ringside area during another commercial break as fans chanted “bullshit” and “refund” at them. The finish saw Tozawa pin Gulak.
There were several upset fans at the Manhattan Center due to the lack of matches while most of the action went on at the Barclays Center. WWE Hall of Famers Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler also suffered from the downtime as they were caught snoozing, seen below:
– WWE Superstar Elias took to Twitter to note that his song on tonight’s (Mon. October 2, 2017) episode of Monday Night RAW will be dedicated to commentator Michael Cole, who will be missing his only his second RAW in 20 years to attend his son’s wedding. Tom Phillips will be serving as Cole’s replacement:
– The WWE has posted the following Top 10 video ahead of Hell In A Cell, showing some of the structure’s wildest moments. Superstars in the clips include Daniel Bryan, Mankind, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, and many more. Check it out here:
The “Voice of WWE” Michael Cole will miss this coming Monday’s RAW from Denver to attend his son’s wedding.
SmackDown Live’s Tom Philips will replace Cole on Monday’s broadcast.
WWE.com noted that Monday will mark only the second time in 20 years that Cole missed a week of WWE television.
Matches announced for Monday’s RAW include Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman and The Mix defending the Intercontinental Championship against Roman Reigns.
– Tajiri was backstage at RAW last night and is expected to return to action soon. Tajiri has been out of commission with a knee injury since mid-January, suffered shortly after his official return to the company on 205 Live. On January 22nd, he was already able to kick and jump according to his tweet.
– Referee Charles Robinson told WWE.com that he suffered a torn plantar fasciitis during the AJ Styles vs. John Cena WWE Championship match at Royal Rumble. The injury happened at around 7 minutes in. Robinson said he will be back in the ring in time for Elimination Chamber. Regarding the post-match comments he shared with Cena, Robinson said:
“We were just talking about how cool it was that I’ve reffed for Ric Flair so many times and now I’m refereeing his 16th title and tying [it] up with Ric. He thought that was pretty freaking cool.”
– Michael Cole tweeted this photo with Byron Saxton, tagging Corey Graves and JBL, while working on a “special project” at the WWE Performance Center a few days back:
WWE RAW announcer Michael Cole may be transitioning into a full-time backstage role with WWE, according to PWInsider.com. Cole has been an on-camera talent going back to 1997, starting as a backstage interviewer and is now the company’s senior broadcaster. In recent weeks there’s been a lot of talk regarding Michael Cole’s future with the company.
In addition to calling the action every Monday night, at pay-per-views and special events (like the UK Championship tournament), Cole already does some work behind the scenes helping out with production and grooming the younger announcers. He probably won’t be leaving the announcer’s desk in the immediate future, but it seems he’s giving strong consideration to the next chapter of his career.
Discussion: What are your thoughts as Michael Cole as an announcer?
Michael Cole recently spoke with ESPN and major praise for Corey Graves, calling him WWE’s next JBL or Jerry Lawler on commentary. “We knew he was gonna be good, I just didn’t know he was gonna be this good, this fast,” Cole said of Graves. “We gave him a chance and he really worked hard at it. This didn’t come to him easy. He put a lot of time in at the Performance Center, and hours and hours of work.”
“We put him on Raw, and he took off. He’s the new guy, he’s the new heel. He’s the next JBL, the next Jerry Lawler,” Cole continued. “He’s got a unique presence, he’s got sarcasm and he’s got wit, and he also has the experience of being in the ring, being a former NXT tag team champion. He has everything. A good looking young kid – he’s the future of what we do here.”
Cole also revealed that he’s been trying to get Nigel McGuinness in WWE for some time. Cole will be calling the upcoming WWE UK Championship two-night tournament with Nigel and William Regal. “I cannot wait. I’ve been trying to get Nigel here for a long time,” Cole told ESPN. “And this just worked out to be the perfect venue to bring him aboard. He’s gonna start his career off as part of this tournament, but he’s gonna be with WWE full time going forward. “We have a lot of plans for Nigel, and I think fans are going to be excited seeing what he has coming in his career. There’s not a better person to be able to do this.”
Cole also defended the three-man booth, saying it brings out his best.
“I know a lot of critics don’t like a three-man booth, but I enjoy it,” Cole added. “The main reason is because it allows me to be right down the middle. I can just be an unbiased play-by-play guy, and let Corey have his views, and Byron have his views, and they can go back and forth and debate and argue with each other while I can just do what I do, which is call a match and tell stories.
“That’s why I like the three-man booth. I think sometimes when you’re in a two-man booth, I get bogged down having to be the good guy a little bit too much, or the bad guy as it used to be. It’s tough that way, but just having that straight play-by-play guy to tell your stories, be unbiased, and have your two guys playing off each other, it’s perfect.”
The new lead voice of WWE SmackDown, Mauro Ranallo, spoke with The Sporting News shortly after the announcement was made that he had signed with WWE. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.
On how he got the WWE announcing job:
“Yeah, this has been an expedited process to say the least. About a month and a half ago, maybe even less, it’s been a whirlwind, I was contacted by Michael Cole. In addition to being the voice of the WWE, he also oversees all of the on-air talent. He emailed me to gauge my interest in working for the company which I found to be flattering and very surprising that at this stage of my career. Needless to say, I said I was very interested because anyone who knows me and has followed my career knows how much sports entertainment — WWE — has been a big part of my life as a fan. Even in my combat sports commentary, the myriad of references I’ve made to my first love are very evident. After I contacted Michael Cole and talked to him in person and understood exactly what they were offering and what they wanted me to do with the company, it really took off from there.”
On if we will see his same persona in WWE:
“Fair question and I think it begins with the fact that I will be known as Mauro Ranallo on SmackDown. I understand why they want to change people’s names and want to give them their own identity but the fact that they respect my breath of work and respect what I’ve done over the last 30 years as a broadcaster already puts me in a proper mindset. I’m going to call WWE like I call everything. Yes, I’m going to be passionate. Yes, I’m going to be excited but at the same time I’m hoping to get better as a storyteller and I’m hoping to complement the people I work with who have been doing this a lot longer than I have. “
Featured above is Michael Cole’s latest weekly sit-down interview, which this week features real-life engaged couple Rusev and Lana.
During the interview Cole brings up Lana not “going all the way” with Dolph Ziggler, which Lana says is true, noting she has always been a “good girl.” She mentioned that her father, a Russian minister, raised her to “save herself for marriage,” which she claims is exactly what she’s doing.
Cole also asks about Rusev “going all the way” with Summer Rae, noting he has a source that claims Rusev wasn’t being honest, as he did “go all the way” with Summer on more than one occasion.
The two talk about their real-life engagement, which is now being used in the current WWE storylines. Lana mentions that she tried not to show it when they were fighting, but she always loved Rusev. Rusev said he loves Lana with all his heart and that he might have done some things wrong in the past, but they’ve talked it over and are moving on.
Finally, Rusev and Lana mention that they will be having two weddings. One will be in September in Bulgaria, and the second one will be a three-day wedding in Russia. Rusev says their American friends are invited, but their ceremony will not be televised and won’t be on the WWE Network.
WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently updated the Q&A section of his official website, JRsBarBQ.com, answering questions from fans about topics such as the
On if WWE acknowledges the negative feedback they get from former WWE Superstars such as Bret Hart, Mick Foley and Vince Russo:
“Would it bother you if you were in their shoes and actually read the endless stream of negativity directed their way? I don’t have any idea if they actually immerse themselves in this info.”
On whether or not Goldust should get a run as WWE Champion before he retires:
“I’m a Goldust fan and respect him and his work greatly but I’d not have any desire for him to be WWE Champion at this stage of his game.”
On whether or not people in WWE read his website and if he’d be willing to do a WWE Network “Table For 3” episode with Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler:
“Whether someone in WWE reads my work or listens to my podcasts isn’t a concern to me. However, I’d be happy to work on any WWE projects if they fit my schedule and I thought that I’d enjoy doing them. Me working on projects in WWE isn’t an issue with me but is strictly a WWE decision.”
On not being a fan of scripted promos in WWE:
“I am not a fan of long, scripted promos in today’s world of pro wrestling. They are predictable and come off as nothing more than time fillers moe often than not.
Former WCW and TNA announcer Scott Hudson didn’t hold back in a two-hour conversation with IYH Wrestling Radio, unloading on WWE announcers Michael Cole and John “Bradshaw” Layfield, the failed Invasion angle, and WWE using Reid Flair’s death in an angle with Charlotte and Paige.
Excerpts from the interview, provided by host Vic Vic Schiavone, are as follows:
On the current state of wrestling commentary:
“Well first, Michael Cole sucks. That guy couldn’t call a one-horse race. Unfortunately, the best announcer they have on RAW is Byron Saxton, and they don’t let him show his stuff. JBL…he’s terrible, he’s horrible…They don’t know what to do, but then again I’ll give Cole at least a little bit of credit in that he’s doing what he’s told. If he wasn’t doing what he was told, he would be working for Joey Styles at the dot com office. And that’s sad, is that they’ve got the best announcer in the last twenty years on staff not announcing. The guy for New Japan, Mauro Ranallo, he’s the best announcer in wrestling and it’s not even close. He’s fantastic. The guys on Ring of Honor, Kevin Kelly and the rest of that bunch, they’re good, too. But the announcing on basically every WWE product across platforms is atrocious.
I’ve gotta say this, I’m a huge mark for The King (Jerry Lawler); he could read things out of the phone book and I would listen. So I love The King, take him out of that equation, otherwise the announcers there are worthless. But, to their everlasting credit, they’re doing what they’re told. And Vince (McMahon) is happy as a clam, watching ratings…and viewership and everything else and gimmick sales go right in the tank.”
On WWE’s Invasion angle:
“Keep this in mind…when they bought us out, should there ever have been a bigger angle than the Invasion Angle? Because you had ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) thrown in there, too…That angle, start to finish, should still be going today, fourteen years later. And the problem is one person’s fault, and that’s Vince McMahon. He would not in his dying breath put over a WCW talent or an ECW talent. Now…some guys got over in spite of Vince trying to bury them, but Vince’s whole idea was to bury both companies. It wasn’t to make money by saying “Oh my God, this is WCW vs. WWE vs. ECW”, it was “This is WWE, stop. WCW and ECW guys are job guys.” That’s all he wanted, that’s all he saw, and he did not care that he was sitting on a 20-million dollar profit. He was comfortable with a 2-million dollar profit because he got to bury WCW and ECW.”
On the current state of wrestling:
“Actually I like all the guys in The Shield, the Wyatt Family guys are entertaining to watch, but the guys out there now, to bring this whole show full circle, it’s all promos. When we had WCW, we had the Power Plant and we brought in the bunch called The Natural Born Thrillers ((Chuck) Palumbo, (Mark) Jindrak, (Shawn) Stasiak, Reno, Mike Sanders). All those guys, with the exception of Sanders, they were all horrible promos. I mean, terrible. But they were great athletes…I mean you go back and watch that stuff they were incredible workers, but they couldn’t cut a promo if you had a gun to their head…And it’s like The Natural Born Thrillers are now the entire roster of the WWE top to bottom: great looking guys, average to fantastic workers, no promo ability; none. I think I mentioned on some discussion the other night that I had online that listening to Roman Reigns cut a promo has all the fire of a Dr. Ben Carson haiku reading. And that’s probably being kind to both of them.”
On WWE using Reid Flair’s death as part of an angle:
“Well, there’s been so much made of that from Monday night with Charlotte and Paige, but…has the death of Ric Flair’s son ever been used in an angle before? No. But has something as disgusting because it’s real been used in a promotional angle before? Sure…Katie Vick…Hunter accused Kane of murdering and I guess burying a high-school cheerleader…That obviously wasn’t real, but that’s disgusting. And there have been other disgusting things like Blackjack Mulligan’s heart attack…there was a David and Mike Von Erich memorial parade of champions…they named the show after the two dead guys, much less invoking the name of Reid Flair Mondaynight on RAW. The fact that it’s raising so many eyebrows means that wrestling might have actually not had to resort to that level of angle to get stuff over for so long that this seems so disgusting when in the whole course of history it has been lapped several times in the disgusting category.”
As noted by Michael Cole on commentary during Monday’s RAW, WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens blocked actress and noted WWE fan Melissa Joan Hart on Twitter this week.
Melissa Joan Hart often tweets during RAW and this week, she took a shot at Owens for being a “lazy wrestler.”
Below are some of the tweets from Melissa Joan Hart and Kevin Owens from Monday night.
Michael Cole recently spoke to WWE.com about his dramatic weight loss, dropping 65 pounds over the past 11 months. Cole credits his trainer Jesse Marines for his transformation and says he feels better now at 48 years old than he did when he was 21. Cole said:
[Jesse] put together a basic program for me to begin with where I was doing cardio two to three times a week and doing weight training with him two to three times a week. He gave me a simple diet to follow and since my diet was so awful, it was pretty easy.
I was eating a lot of carbs; a bagel for breakfast, a sandwich on a hard roll with potato chips for lunch and at dinner, I’d eat potatoes with whatever else I was eating. Another big thing for me was that I enjoyed drinking beer. I was a big beer drinker and those are very empty calories. I haven’t had a drink since we started this program almost a year ago.
Jesse’s program really isn’t dieting. It’s increasing meals to eating six times a day every three hours and three of those meals are protein shakes. The other three meals are something like a chicken breast, a green vegetable and rice or yams for carbohydrates. Sometimes, I’ll eat egg whites and turkey bacon. We just wanted to make sure that I ate six times a day to jump start my metabolism. You have to eat to lose weight.
Head over to WWE.com to read the full interview and see more before & after photos.
Tag-team legends The Dudley Boyz — Bubba Ray and Devon — were Michael Cole’s guests on this week’s WWE.com sit-down interview.
During the interview, which you can watch above, Devon noted that they were overwhelmed by the reception they received for their WWE return on RAW in Brooklyn, New York. Bubba Ray added that the great part about the whole situation was that it was kept a secret.
Regarding what The Dudley Boyz have been doing over the past ten years, Bubba Ray said, “everything,” while Devon mentioned All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), however neither alluded to TNA Wrestling in any way, unless you count Devon saying that they have been active all over the world, as they go “non-stop.” (Total “Non-Stop” Action)?
Bubba Ray Dudley then spoke about how he saw the once nearly insignificant WWE tag-team division begin to thrive once again, particularly because of The New Day, and said that it was time for The Dudley Boyz to help get the WWE tag-team scene back to where it once was, and where he feels it belongs again today.
Michael Cole then brought up The New Day and asked if they feel they are entertaining. Devon said that they are a good team and they are very entertaining, but that they are also “kick-ass guys.” He mentions that The New Day is trying to follow in the footsteps of The Dudley Boyz because they are doing everything that The Dudley Boyz used to do to get attention.
Finally, Cole brings up the fact that The Dudley Boyz will be challenging The New Day for the WWE Tag-Team Championships at the next live WWE Network special, scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 2015 from Madison Square Garden in New York City. As far as that fact is concerned, Bubba Ray mentions that it doesn’t get any better than to win the titles back in their hometown, especially in a building like MSG.
Make sure to visit SEScoops.com on Saturday, October 3, 2015 for the best live WWE Network results coverage from Madison Square Garden.
Triple H returned to his old home, the WWE.com sit-down interview, in the 100th episode of Michael Cole’s weekly segment on WWE.com and WWE’s official YouTube Channel. This time out, Triple H (mostly out of character as Paul Levesque but still called Triple H)shared some of his thoughts on his baby, NXT.
When asked if he thought it was possible in advance that NXT could sell out the Barclay’s Center, he said:
I think you want to shoot for the stars with that stuff. And, yeah, I wanted to create sort of a counter brand, another brand for the WWE that we could build the future in and try to make it as big as possible. A lot of people even asked me just going into Brooklyn when Brooklyn was suggested, I originally balked at the idea. I felt like we could sell it out, I felt like the interest in the brand was there, and I felt like the desire to see it would be there, especially in the New York area being Brooklyn, but I was hesitant to do it. What I didn’t want to do is disappoint people and have them think it would sell out and then sell 10,000 tickets and have that be seen as a disappointment. So I played up [that] I didn’t believe in it a little bit but was excited that it did as well as it did.
In the interview, Triple H also talks about the presence of NXT alumni on the main roster, Sting’s impact on WWE, and more. There’s also a reference having lost 65 pounds in the last 11 months, which is pretty impressive of his part.
– Although WWE had been indicating that John Cena vs. Seth Rollins would headline this Sunday’s WWE Night Of Champions pay-per-view, they are now talking like Cena vs. Rollins will take place prior to Sting vs. Rollins.
– Michael Cole recently noted that he has lost 65 pounds in 11 months.
– The next edition of “Superstar Ink” with Corey Graves will feature Kofi Kingston. You can check out a preview below.