Michael Cole got started with WWE in 1997 as a backstage interviewer before transitioning to one of the lead play-by-play announcers.
Cole joined WWE with a background at CBS radio, covering Presidential elections, the Yugoslavian civil war, and more.
In WWE, Cole was used in a variety of roles under the guidance of Vince McMahon.
"I will never ever disparage Vince McMahon. He has his personal issues and whatnot, but from a professional standpoint, I’ll never disparage the man. I would not be here today without Vince. He gave me everything. Stuck with me when I was learning to be a wrestling guy, wasn’t a wrestling guy when I came here," Cole said on Impaulsive with Logan Paul.
Asked why he believes Vince stuck with him and believed in him, Cole replied, "I think there were two things. Jim Ross, obviously, was the man. I still think the greatest ever. I think Vince understood JR was getting older and he needed to bring in somebody younger. Because of my background, I was a good announcer at the time. JR came to WWE already a wrestling guy. Me being new and fresh and not a wrestling guy, Vince was able to mold me how he wanted me to be an announcer. He stuck with it. Even when I sucked in the beginning and the fans hated me, Vince stuck with me. I talk to Michael Hayes about this all the time. It’s amazing that I’ve lasted in this company this long because there are certain things that would set [Vince] off and he would go, ‘Okay, you’re done. You’re fired.’ Sometimes, for no reason, but he stuck with me 100% of the time. So, I’ll never disparage the man."
McMahon resigned from WWE/TKO in January 2024 after a lawsuit was filed by former WWE employee Janel Grant accusing McMahon of sexual assault and sex trafficking. The lawsuit is still active.
Elsewhere during the interview, Cole commented on McMahon being in his ear. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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