Michael Cole was absent from the October 16 episode of WWE Raw.
The season premiere of WWE Raw aired on October 16, and Kevin Patrick opened the show on commentary. He briefly noted that he was filling in for Cole.
Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reports that Cole had requested time off for a previous obligation a while back, per WWE sources. Cole's absence on October 16 marked only the third time Cole has missed a WWE TV show in his 25-plus year career with the company.
Michael Cole had requested time off for a previous obligation a while back, WWE sources tell us pic.twitter.com/2qMPFK18Ty
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) October 17, 2023
Per Mike Johnson of PWInsider, Cole's absence was not caused by illness or anything or that nature, and he is set to return next week. Prior to October 16, Kevin Patrick had been scheduled to fill in for Cole for weeks
As of this writing, additional details are not known.
Fightful will monitor the situation and provide more information as it becomes available.
Cole previously discussed his schedule and how he has missed seeing his kids grow up. Check out his comments here.
Click here to catch up on our coverage of the October 16 episode of WWE Raw. For a full review, check out the post-show podcast on our YouTube channel.
