For The Record 8.2.09: Michael Cole on Raw

Michael Cole is often criticized by the IWC and other general fans. They think he’s a buffoon who has no idea what he’s doing. Those people couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Before he became an on-screen WWE personality in 1997, he was a reporter for CBS Radio. During that time he covered the presidential campaigns of Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton, Steve Forbes, and Bob Dole. He also spent time in the mid-90s covering the Yugoslavian War and the bombing of a Federal building in Oklahoma City. Cole was a true journalist before entering WWE and thus a credible broadcaster. On the radio, one must create a narrative for the listening audience. In wrestling, a commentator’s job is also to establish a narrative. Cole had transferable skills upon arrival. Unfortunately, he was not a full-time commentator right off the bat.

In his early WWE days, Cole was essentially a Todd Pettengill replacement. And that was problematic. Pettengill was an entertaining backstage interviewer for WWE in the mid 90s. Besides conducting interviews on TV and pay-per-views, he also hosted Livewire and Action Zone. On top of all that, he was an effective merchandise pitchman. Pettengill always kept things light, and was pretty well-accepted by the wrestling audience. However, he parted ways with WWE after SummerSlam 1997. Michael Cole entered the scene soon thereafter. Cole didn’t have Pettengill’s understated charisma, sense of humor, or sense of timing. To use a wrestling term, he was green. But worse than that, he got bullied around.

The original Michaels/Triple H version of DX bullied Cole around on-screen. There was one interview in particular in late 1997 or 1998 when they pulled pranks on Cole for an entire in-ring interview. Situations like that made it difficult for fans to take Cole seriously.

There was also the time in 1999 when Jim Ross delivered a low blow to Michael Cole. It was all part of the Jim Ross/Bell’s Palsy angle. After the effects of Bell’s Palsy were visible to WWE’s brass, Ross was taken off TV. Michael Cole served as Ross’ temporary replacement, much to the chagrin of Ross. So one night Jim Ross called Cole into the ring, berated him, and gave him a low blow. After Cole was hit, he simply sold the injury and retreated to the backstage area. Situations like that did not exactly put Cole in the brightest light. Mean Gene Okerlund would have fought back. He would have threatened to get his lawyers after Ross. Cole did nothing of the sort.

Cole’s fortunes turned for the better later that year. Smackdown became a weekly two-hour broadcast and Cole was chosen to be the play-by-play commentator. His work with Jerry Lawler was decent. I will admit, his voice was a bit annoying at times. I think he spoke too much and a bit too loudly at some points, but his performances were passable. But Cole really hit his stride when he teamed with Tazz. Working with Tazz must have been a little different for Cole. Cole was the most senior member of that broadcast team. He was the one with more big match experience. He seemed to gain confidence when Tazz joined him in the booth. After a few years, I would even argue that they became superior to Ross and Lawler as a broadcast duo.

In 2006, JBL replaced Tazz in the booth. Together, Cole and JBL formed one of the top five best commentating teams I’ve ever heard. JBL was a classic heel commentator. We don’t hear that sort of style anymore. Cole contrasted JBL’s uber-heel approach perfectly. They made the Smackdown years of 2006 and 2007 palatable. Now that is an accomplishment to say the least!

I went from hearing one of the best broadcast teams of all time to the worst. In early 2008, Jonathan Coachman replaced JBL. That combo was just plain awful. We as fans were lucky though. At least Coachman was around during a well-booked Edge/Undertaker feud. A combination of horrible wrestling programming and a Cole/Coachman broadcasting combo would have made Smackdown nearly impossible to watch.

The WWE commentating situation was somewhat in a state of disarray until the June 2008 WWE Draft. On that night, Jim Ross and Michael Cole switched seats. Cole became the permanent play-by-play commentator of Monday Night Raw. He now holds the most coveted broadcasting position in the wrestling world. But with an increased audience and increased exposure comes increased scrutiny.

Cole now sits alongside Jerry “The King” Lawler, on live TV, on cable’s most watched station. How is he doing? In my view, he’s doing quite well. I would first of all say that he was wise to shave his goatee. Those who “host” Raw should be cleanly shaven. His voice also seems a bit lower than it used to be. He’s not as loud and annoying as before. Most importantly, Cole is better at shutting up when necessary. We as fans don’t need the commentators talking every second. We get what’s going on. Sometimes we like to simply hear the sounds of the ring and arena. Of course, that’s a little easier to do with HD. But you get the idea.

Cole seems a lot more confident in his role. I guess that’s what twelve years of experience will do for a broadcaster. He’s grown into his role, become a bit more distinguished, and will probably occupy that chair for many years to come. Cole has come a long way since 1997 to say the least.

Closing Time

That’s it for this week. Below, Jim Ross shakes Michael Cole’s hand as Raw changes voices.