His work during the whole main event was genuinely one of the best commentary jobs, I've ever watched in my whole life. There's so many great lines from "John Cena, guess what? You can't see him!" or "Cena's seen a ghost. A ghost of his past." or "HOLY CHRIST! THE DEAD MAN COMETH!" or the whole final 30 seconds and everything after the pin. He absolutely nailed capturing the emotions with each new segment of a match
@@patrickroden4481 couldn’t agree more. For me though the finish the story timed with the pin was masterclass. Love the fact he’s allowed to be himself now and actually have the freedom to call the matches with his way of storytelling. Also on an unrelated note, from one Patrick to another. Cheers for taking the time to reply☝️
Honestly Michael Cole looks more relaxed when vince isn't screaming in his ear for years, he looks excited, like a wrestling fan, expressive and with pat macafee he's happier, he's GOATED in my opinion.
I think the first time that people _really_ started to take notice of how good Cole truly could be was when he covered the second UK tournament with Nigel and it was clear that Vince wasn't feeding them lines. I remember a LOT of people looking at him differently after that.
Agreed. There were a few glimpses before, around 2012-2014 where Cole would get little moments where, for whatever reason, Vince isn't over-directing him and he can actually react to things happening in front of him like a human being.
People also sometimes forget: he was the man at the desk for Foley's first WWF Title win on RAW in '99. And his call was, I dare say, as good as any call that JR might have provided in that moment. The passion he exuded, the history he referenced, the talent to say exactly what needed to be said in one of Foley's defining moments. It was really something. It was proof that even 25 years ago, he had the stuff.
"He's been known as Dude Love, Cactus Jack and Mankind, but tonight and forever, Mick Foley will simply be known as WWF Champion" One of my favourite Cole calls, for sure
He was always unfairly compared to JR, but he deserves all the recognition he is getting right now. Even when he started, he was excellent. Him calling Mankind winning his first WWE championship is one of my favorite calls to this very day.
I honestly never thought I would turn around so fast on Michael Cole. Even when i was aware that he was getting badgered by Vince in his headset, I figured that it couldn't be just that. Lo and behold, I was wrong. And I'm not ashamed to admit that. Michael Cole has been able to see his reputation turn from company shill to one of the greatest to ever wear a headset. And for that you have to tip your hat to the man. Well done, Michael... Well done...
I know Michael Cole has been hated for many years, but I’ve felt he was a consistent voice when I watched WWE and I’ll always appreciate his calls. Been enjoying him lots seeing him comment post-Vince, and the pop he got when his music hit for CatC 2022 is one of my favourite moments from the show. Will be sad to see him go once he decides to step away
He is nowhere near the best. His voice and calls at times are cringe. Imagine if J.R. never existed and Cole as he is now called the Attitude Era stuff. It would have been rotten.
@@LORDSTRYKER92 "We have seen the light" No you haven't 😂 This attitude is basically like forgiving themselves for screaming at an employee all that time because they realised it wasn't their fault, it was the customs the owner made their employee follow. At the end of the day, it's not the employee doing what they were told, or the employer insisting they do things they way they want, it's the customer for taking the opportunity to throw fits because they decided they have the right. They decided to be a Karen. And will continue to do so. These people haven't learned a thing, embued by "the customer is always right" philosophies. Mike Tyson was right about people on the internet. All Michael Cole (and Vince) have ever done TO US is provided exemplary service.
@@miguelnewmexico8641 Because it is pretty much what they said. I'm not "quoting" lol. I don't need meds because I dealt with my own stuff, but I know you haven't. You guys still hold a personal vendetta against Vince McMahon like he's been coming through your tv and computer screens personally insulting you. It's nice you're in group therapy here together, but it's making you worse. You actually think "you survived him" and stuff. It's ludicrous.
I didn't grow up with Vince or The Brain, or really even JR and Jerry. But I did grow up with Cole so he was always my commentator. And seeing him flourish and have so much fun with the Job now makes me happy. Best Commentator ever
I grew up with all of them; It's hard to match JR and Lawler, just because of how iconic each of them is, and as a duo they basically defined for me what wrestling announcing sounds like. Then again they couldn't really do the modern era like Cole does. Heenan was just way ahead of his time though. He was successful back then, sure, but he'd have been even more successful today, because his wit was never fully appreciated back then. I don't know that Cole is far and away the best but I do know that he absolutely deserves to be held up there with those other three, that's for damn sure.
He’s the Roman Reigns of commentary. In the beginning he was great as the voice of Smackdown with Taz, Vince turned him into his number one guy and turned him into crap, now he’s Vince free and great again.
I get it... Roman was great with the shield, Vince wanted to give a him a John Cena-ish push that killed his popularity ( well to hardcore wrestling fans anyway), but once Roman took over his booking he was great
I couldn't bear listening to his growling like a coked-up maniac in a regular promo, let alone having him literally inside my head telling me to say childish bullshit for several hours a week.
I was just telling my wife earlier today that the best thing to happen from Vince no longer being in charge is to see Michael Cole be able to enjoy himself. He's more relaxed, he laughs easier, he is just so much better without Vince in his ear constantly.
The Cole Mine was legitimately genius - so much heat. He’s been my GOAT for years. I even tried to start a Michael Cole chant at Rebellion (I think) around 2002.
Don't mention Michael Cole & Heidenreich in the same sentence, especially for what he did to Michael Cole on THAT 2004 episode of Smackdown. Heidenreich may just do the same thing that he did to Michael Cole to you as well. Be careful, man!
I loved Tazz and Cole as a duo. Such a big part of my youth and so many great memories of playing the WWE games with Tazz and Cole commentating the stuff me and my friends did. I'm so happy for him and for us fans, that he got paired with Pat, which really revived him. And even more happy that he is now free to do things his way, without having Vince in his ear. And I have a mad respect for the guy to put up with everything Vince screamed in his ear, doing his job while still having legendary calls like "heist of the century".
I think him going "Professional wrestling is BACK!" lasy WrestleMania really highlighted just how much Cole enjoys his job now and how liberated he feels to no longer be pupetteered around by Vince McMahon. Hearing hil say that sounded so cathartic. What amazes me most about Cole is that he totally owns up to the most embarassing moments he's been involved in and happily cracks jokes about them, even though they more likely weren't his fault. And man, can you imagine a Cole & Taz commentary team-up THESE days?!
I am glad to see Michael Cole getting the acclaim he's deserved for a long time now. Among his strongest talents as a commentator is his ability to get the audience to sympathise with the underdog babyface, and there are countless examples of this throughout his career: Mick Foley's WWE title win over The Rock, Eddie Guerrero against Brock Lesnar at No Way Out, Rey Mysterio's showing in the 2006 Royal Rumble, Tyler Bate in the inaugural NXT UK Championship tournament, and of course, Daniel Bryan's triumph at WrestleMania XXX. Basically, Cole is at his best when calling matches featuring plucky or undersized wrestlers facing insurmountable odds.
I hated Cole until the first UK tournament, finally understood it was nothing to do with him and that he was in fact a really good commentator and broadcaster. Loving seeing him flourish now
Fall of 1998 I related to his commentary so much. He made everything sound so exciting, unpredictable and new to him. Which was exactly how I felt then, discovering the fed and watching Raw for those first few months. Truly magical time in my life.
Thank you for making this video, Adam and the Cultaholic team! I 100% agree with everything you said. Michael deserves his flowers for all his work, not just his recent efforts. It truly is cathartic to see him get to really let loose and be more expressive, goofy, and excitable along with Pat. When the day comes that the torch gets passed, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will be sobbing.
I once despised Michael Cole but now have a huge amount of respect for him and he’s clearly found a new lease of life on commentary post-Vince. Also to Pacitti, please do more videos like this and not just voiceovers. You’ll never know how much you’ve entertained me and I’m sure many others over the years ❤
I was not a fan of Cole when he first appeared. He was Pettingill's replacement, nothing more, and I wasn't a fan of Pettingill, either. However, I admire Cole's perseverance for putting up with McMahon, and honestly, he grew on me as an announcer. Someone commented that Cole has the patience of a saint to deal with Vince rambling and screaming in his headset for so long, and boy, ain't that the truth. Nearly three decades years in the game and Cole has reached legend status. His professionalism is bar none and he has earned his flowers. Nice video!
The fact they now have much more freedom with nothing but the limits of TV without being fed what to say really shines through their work and it shows. I loved hearing him on SmackDown then when Lawler had that heart attack live on RAW, i found a new respect for him. I can only imagine when WWE moves to Netflix we'll see him go even stronger
I’m proud of Michael Cole. I remember when he first started out, and though I’ve been only a casual fan of modern wrestling the last few years, seeing him lead the play by play for Wrestlemania this year was a really cool full circle moment.
A lot of people forget that before he came to WWE Cole was actually a journalist for almost a decade, covering some pretty big time stuff, the dude has always had talent just became a problem as Vince became crazier and crazier.
I remember when the original UK Title Tournament was announced everyone was so disappointed that Cole was going to be doing play by play. Then everyone being surprised with how good he was alongside Nigel McGuinness. It’s good that he’s getting the chance to commentate on a regular basis without Vince McMahon yelling in his ear for hours on end, he actually looks like he’s enjoying himself as well. It makes for such a better viewing experience.
I went to a Raw taping back in January and the pop Michael got when he came out with his theme music and with the fans outstretching their hands for high-fives really hit me in the feels :,)
I’m a Coleminer for life… Michael Cole genuinely has been my favorite since 2002 personally. From him and Taz calling the main event of my personal favorite WrestleMania XIX, calling a ton of my favorite matches of the ruthless aggression era, his poise and strength when he had to give bad news about his broadcast partner Jerry Lawler in Montreal when King had that terrible heart attack, how he has become a mentor to a lot of people with JBL, Corey Graves, and many others… Cole is genuinely one of my favorite play by play announcers ever, when Cole called Summerslam 2022 I just felt like, this is the Cole that the world needed to understand why he’s that damn good and it’s been amazing ever since
I watched an episode of Velocity from back around 2003 with Cole and Josh Matthews on commentary and it was one of the best shows ever. It was filmed in the Cow Palace and everytime Matthews would say Cow Palace, Cole would yell "Moo!"
Cole was able to quickly get me up to date on why I should care about storylines and wrestlers I had no idea who they were when I first started watching. He's spectacular
It was never too late for Michael Cole to get his flowers. It's great that people recognize how great Cole is on commentary. The only time we really "hated" him was when we realize that it was Vince McMahon screaming in his ear. Cole getting to be himself to on both as a commentator and as a fan of pro wrestling was a breath of fresh air for him. It's proof that for 25 years, dude knows his shit.
Michael Cole has been a constant for me and my love of wrestling since he got there. Definitely points where i couldn't stand him but that's him doing his job. He is the GOAT for me. And now watching this just solidified it even more for me. Can't wait for him to be inducted into the HoF.
*Michael Cole having Pat McAfee as his sidekick definitely revitalized his passion like he said, in my mind he's definitely the greatest WWE commentator ever.*
My favorite Michael Cole commentary pairing was when he was with Tazz on Smackdown. Even though I enjoyed his pairing Jerry Lawler, JBL, Booker T & Corey Graves, I loved Cole & Tazz's commentary pairing together. Tazz's calls such as whenever Undertaker or Kane attempted a chokeslam, which he says "Goozle city" or Brock Lesnar delivering an F5 "Here comes the pain, Cole! Here comes the pain!" It was on commentary that Booker T created the bizarre "Shucky Ducky Quack Quack" phrase, which is still crazy to me. Jim Ross & Jerry "The King" Lawler is the GOAT WWE commentary team for the Attitude & Ruthless Aggression Eras, but I think that Michael Cole & Pat McAfee's pairing is approaching the beloved status of his pairing with Tazz & JR & Jerry Lawler's pairing. Thank you, Michael Cole.
Fully agree. He is amazing now and it was never his fault. We saw a glimpse at the show in Japan, but he is finally free and with his best broadcast partner. Truly outstanding.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so good for you. Its an opinion I couldn't disagree with more but nonetheless you like what you like. The bit especially about him coming up with the right turn of phrase at the right moment is especially wrong to me. We know he has these things written up before hand, like when Shane went off the top of the Hell in a Cell through the announcers table with the airbag under it and the camera clearly has him reading off his script, "For the love of Mankind". These examples aren't him being witty. Its him reading from the pre-planned run sheet schedule. Longevity isn't something to be celebrated when we follow a career where watching on mute was preferably to listening to the commentary. I'm not just talking about the "Oh My!" and "Its Boss Time" or "Vintage" crap that he always said, but just how disrespectful he was to the actual matches going on in the ring talking about literally anything else, for decades. The group of friends I used to watch with, we'd do our OWN commentary just to drown out the disrespectful shit that he was saying having the volume up just enough so we could still hear the crowd reactions and slams on the mat. Anybody doing anything for two decades will have some good moments. What isn't taken into account is how many good moments you were robbed of because that undeserving person was in the position they were in, instead of someone far more suitable.
I remember when Cole was just a 90 lb backstage interviewer that would get bullied all the time. He really dug his heels in and earned his way straight into the Hall of Fame, just watch.
Ruthless Aggression era kid here who grew up a bigger Smackdown fan than Raw cause I could stay up later on Friday night gotta say no matter who he’s at the desk with Cole is the all time greatest flat out commentator pro wrestling has ever seen he’s the WWE equivalent to somebody like Bob Costas like you know anytime something is called by Costas it’s gonna be solid Michael Cole is that for wrestling don’t get me wrong any Dream booking type match I’d always want commentated by King and JR cause that’s who did the most important moments of my youth and their constant little colloquialisms are generally more entertaining moment to moment but you need some body on zero notice to go call a match between two fresh to the roster guys who the crowd isn’t into already gimme Maggle Cole and that crowd will love one of those dudes or the other in 10 minutes
Honestly I always kind of liked him as a commentator on the desk ever since the days of the smackdown six because back then we got to see the talent he has for what he does
His call of Mankind winning the WWF Title at the end of the Monday Night War will always hit hard in the feelings. Awesome commentator, I always loved him
Michael Cole has ALWAYS been good and I think detractors forgot that him and Tazz and to a lesser extent him and JBL were more than solid duos in the 2000s Thing about Cole in the past to me was that he is such a staunch professional that he'll always give you EXACTLY what you say you want. Give him freedom to just let loose and he's been magic
Cole is a legend. A dude who put in every hour of his life into his work... Always admired him and his hard work.. Thank you Cole keep up the good work!!
Michael Cole and Tazz were the first commentary team i watched on a weekly basis, watching the Smackdown replay on Sky 1 on Saturday morning. Their chemistry was highly entertaining and made me a fan of both men. Id love for them to reunite one day.
The thing that wasn't mentioned here but showed just how much he was being hindered was the United Kingdom Championship Tournament way back in 2017. For those two shows, Cole was absolutely brilliant. It was night and day to what we got from him on the weekly shows and was having banter with Nigel McGuinness alongside him and everything just felt natural and smooth and he sounded genuinely excited during it. He basically got to be himself that weekend then, unfortunately, he had to go back to being a marionette. But it showed everyone how good he actually was/is.
Cole's call of CM Punk vs. John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011 is one of the best things ever. Go back and watch it, that match was fantastic but it became legendary with the help of Cole really selling the gravity of Punk winning that match.
If you go back to that United Kingdom Championship Tournament at Blackpool in 2017 that was the 1st time in a while we got to hear the Michael Cole of old, under Triple H producing the show that weekend, and felt like MC enjoyed the product in front of him
It turned for me when him and Nigel did the UK tourny. I was like holy shit Micheal Cole is a wrestling announcer!!! I realized then with less production/VInce in his ear he was awesome.
Think about the consistency of this man. JR, King, Taz, all the other guys he worked with, they were in and out either of their own volition (because they couldn't stand Vince's meddling) or they were fired (again by Vince's meddling). Cole stuck it out. He put up with that jackass barking in his ear for YEARS and just did his job. And now that the leash has been taken off, we finally get to see that Michael Cole is goddamned great at what he does. And as for that entire era of being under Vince's micromanagement, all you need to see is how he reacted when King had his heart attack. If that didn't give you an idea of just what a consummate professional and yet caring human being Michael Cole is, then you're blind. Michael Cole is a fricking legend.
Replacing a legend is never easy. It's hard enough if you're replacing a legend who dies or just can't do the job well anymore. When you're replacing one who's still good, there's going to be some inevitable serious backlash -- even if it's not fair. It gets even tougher if you're being micromanaged by your boss, especially when the boss is out of touch. But even before Vince left, there were a few moments of Cole's career where he was far enough away from Vince's reach that we could all see he's actually pretty good. I'm happy that he's gotten to show that even more now that Vince is gone.
Mitchel Cole early days on SD from 1999/2002/03 he was really good, i've always been a MC fan, half your subscribers wont even know he was the Origaal SD announcer with King
I can imagine how Michael Cole announces his retirement, during the Royal Rumble, he is introduced as the only person with Undefeated record in WWE . Then Michael gets the Mic and says, "CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE- " Then proceeds to announces his retirement under good terms, and here comes JR. And Jerry
I think we can all sympathize with having a boss micromanaging and constantly looking over our shoulder. Then, getting criticized for decisions your boss made and everyone thinking you're a bad employee when really you just are saving face for your boss.
I'm glad he's finallly getting his a-Cole-ades after all this time. Vince screaming in his ear soured him to so many for so long. Left to his own devices it's clear this is a role he's always been suited for and it's a shame it took over two decades for him to shine.
Also Cole's debut wasn't on Raw but on the 6/7/97 episode of Shotgun Challenge, the daytime version of Shotgun Saturday Night, replacing Kevin Kelly on commentary for a bit and with Jim Cornette introducing him on screen.
I think, if nothing else, if you don't watch any other wrestling company, how Cole has transformed in the last year and change has shown just how badly Vince could make some people look when he was the one running the content.
At this point Maggle Cole is pretty much the voice of WWE, definitivley a first ballot Hall of Famer, truly cemented by his spastic yeeting which gives off some serious "Dad on his daughters sleepover party" energy
The first hint I really got that Cole was actually really good without Vince yammering in his ear was the second Mae Young Classic. He did a good job during the tournament.
I liked heel Cole on NXT. Him and Josh Mathews, who was supposed the babyface announcer, would both mock what was going on in the ring and Matt Striker when things fell apart, which happened frequently on that show. Almost MST3K style.
Definitely agree that Cole deserves his flowers. The last line in this video caught me off guard. It's well documented how much Adam loves Heenan, and I think that's why I was so caught off guard. Cole still has plenty left in the tank, even with potential successor in Graves on deck. But at this point and knowing that there is still more Cole to come, is he the best ever behind that booth??? It's hard to make an argument against it..
His "I love pro wrestling" at the end of WrestleMania 40 just hit in a way I can't explain
I love when he said finish the story to the ref hitting the mat for the pin. So fucking good man, still watch that just for that call
And you just know he did it specifically to prove that they can say 'wrestling' on TV now.
A real moment of "Oh shit, things have *changed*."
He also narrated a mini-doc for the WWE YT channel about his history with wrestling ahead of WM40. And it's touching stuff.
His work during the whole main event was genuinely one of the best commentary jobs, I've ever watched in my whole life. There's so many great lines from "John Cena, guess what? You can't see him!" or "Cena's seen a ghost. A ghost of his past." or "HOLY CHRIST! THE DEAD MAN COMETH!" or the whole final 30 seconds and everything after the pin. He absolutely nailed capturing the emotions with each new segment of a match
@@patrickroden4481 couldn’t agree more. For me though the finish the story timed with the pin was masterclass. Love the fact he’s allowed to be himself now and actually have the freedom to call the matches with his way of storytelling.
Also on an unrelated note, from one Patrick to another. Cheers for taking the time to reply☝️
It took 25 years.... but I'm glad everyone is seeing he was never the problem..
Took Vince not breathing down his neck every 5 seconds.
He was great during the Cruiserweight classic then again no mr meatwrap
@@justharry2190 the CWC was in general amazing. Wish they'd bring it back and bring Mauro back.
Also the UK tournament, I remember everyone was elated
@@justharry2190Cole didn’t do the CWC, he did the first UK tournament
Honestly Michael Cole looks more relaxed when vince isn't screaming in his ear for years, he looks excited, like a wrestling fan, expressive and with pat macafee he's happier, he's GOATED in my opinion.
I think the first time that people _really_ started to take notice of how good Cole truly could be was when he covered the second UK tournament with Nigel and it was clear that Vince wasn't feeding them lines. I remember a LOT of people looking at him differently after that.
Also his genuine face turn when king had his heart attack during a show helped
Agreed. There were a few glimpses before, around 2012-2014 where Cole would get little moments where, for whatever reason, Vince isn't over-directing him and he can actually react to things happening in front of him like a human being.
People also sometimes forget: he was the man at the desk for Foley's first WWF Title win on RAW in '99. And his call was, I dare say, as good as any call that JR might have provided in that moment. The passion he exuded, the history he referenced, the talent to say exactly what needed to be said in one of Foley's defining moments. It was really something. It was proof that even 25 years ago, he had the stuff.
"He's been known as Dude Love, Cactus Jack and Mankind, but tonight and forever, Mick Foley will simply be known as WWF Champion"
One of my favourite Cole calls, for sure
It was JR feeding him lines then
Watch the beyond the mat documentary and skip to the mankind vs rock match he was feeding Cole lines
I also believe he's behind the best Undertaker Streak Match call of all time and it was after Undertaker beat CM Punk and gained 21-0.
He was always unfairly compared to JR, but he deserves all the recognition he is getting right now. Even when he started, he was excellent. Him calling Mankind winning his first WWE championship is one of my favorite calls to this very day.
I honestly never thought I would turn around so fast on Michael Cole. Even when i was aware that he was getting badgered by Vince in his headset, I figured that it couldn't be just that.
Lo and behold, I was wrong. And I'm not ashamed to admit that.
Michael Cole has been able to see his reputation turn from company shill to one of the greatest to ever wear a headset.
And for that you have to tip your hat to the man.
Well done, Michael... Well done...
I know Michael Cole has been hated for many years, but I’ve felt he was a consistent voice when I watched WWE and I’ll always appreciate his calls. Been enjoying him lots seeing him comment post-Vince, and the pop he got when his music hit for CatC 2022 is one of my favourite moments from the show. Will be sad to see him go once he decides to step away
He went from being a company shill that had to recite everything Vince said to becoming one of the greatest announcers of all time.
I know too little too late but at least he's enjoying himself
He is nowhere near the best. His voice and calls at times are cringe. Imagine if J.R. never existed and Cole as he is now called the Attitude Era stuff. It would have been rotten.
What? That’s an absolutely insane take…
@@DCDPM Cap
@@DCDPM Cap
Truth is, and we only know it now, we never hated Michael Cole. We hated the man screaming into his ear.
That's all very touching, but you spent all that time shooting the messenger.
We? I dont hate ether of them and the man screaming in his ear is the reason why you are here 😂
@@LORDSTRYKER92 "We have seen the light"
No you haven't 😂
This attitude is basically like forgiving themselves for screaming at an employee all that time because they realised it wasn't their fault, it was the customs the owner made their employee follow.
At the end of the day, it's not the employee doing what they were told, or the employer insisting they do things they way they want, it's the customer for taking the opportunity to throw fits because they decided they have the right. They decided to be a Karen. And will continue to do so.
These people haven't learned a thing, embued by "the customer is always right" philosophies. Mike Tyson was right about people on the internet.
All Michael Cole (and Vince) have ever done TO US is provided exemplary service.
@@TheRealAhoy why are you quoting something they didn't say? take your meds.
@@miguelnewmexico8641 Because it is pretty much what they said. I'm not "quoting" lol. I don't need meds because I dealt with my own stuff, but I know you haven't. You guys still hold a personal vendetta against Vince McMahon like he's been coming through your tv and computer screens personally insulting you. It's nice you're in group therapy here together, but it's making you worse. You actually think "you survived him" and stuff. It's ludicrous.
I didn't grow up with Vince or The Brain, or really even JR and Jerry. But I did grow up with Cole so he was always my commentator. And seeing him flourish and have so much fun with the Job now makes me happy. Best Commentator ever
I grew up with all of them; It's hard to match JR and Lawler, just because of how iconic each of them is, and as a duo they basically defined for me what wrestling announcing sounds like. Then again they couldn't really do the modern era like Cole does. Heenan was just way ahead of his time though. He was successful back then, sure, but he'd have been even more successful today, because his wit was never fully appreciated back then.
I don't know that Cole is far and away the best but I do know that he absolutely deserves to be held up there with those other three, that's for damn sure.
He’s the Roman Reigns of commentary. In the beginning he was great as the voice of Smackdown with Taz, Vince turned him into his number one guy and turned him into crap, now he’s Vince free and great again.
I get it...
Roman was great with the shield, Vince wanted to give a him a John Cena-ish push that killed his popularity ( well to hardcore wrestling fans anyway), but once Roman took over his booking he was great
Roman Reigns sucks
Oh my god, that actually makes sense and I kinda hate you for thinking of it first.😅
so who's the Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose of commentary?
@@tedjomuljono3052Maybe Cameron Graves and JBL?
Can you think of anyone else who has put up with Vince screaming in his ear for so many years? That man must have the patience of a saint.
I couldn't bear listening to his growling like a coked-up maniac in a regular promo, let alone having him literally inside my head telling me to say childish bullshit for several hours a week.
Well, when you've covered wars, you can probably handle a lot.
I was just telling my wife earlier today that the best thing to happen from Vince no longer being in charge is to see Michael Cole be able to enjoy himself. He's more relaxed, he laughs easier, he is just so much better without Vince in his ear constantly.
The Cole Mine was legitimately genius - so much heat. He’s been my GOAT for years. I even tried to start a Michael Cole chant at Rebellion (I think) around 2002.
I saw the thumbnail and thought he had died before clicking on the video
Your expression of love to Michael Cole was much more appropriate then Heidenreich's.
Don't mention Michael Cole & Heidenreich in the same sentence, especially for what he did to Michael Cole on THAT 2004 episode of Smackdown. Heidenreich may just do the same thing that he did to Michael Cole to you as well. Be careful, man!
One of the most underrated people ever in wrestling. So happy he’s been getting his flowers in the HHH era
I loved Tazz and Cole as a duo. Such a big part of my youth and so many great memories of playing the WWE games with Tazz and Cole commentating the stuff me and my friends did. I'm so happy for him and for us fans, that he got paired with Pat, which really revived him. And even more happy that he is now free to do things his way, without having Vince in his ear.
And I have a mad respect for the guy to put up with everything Vince screamed in his ear, doing his job while still having legendary calls like "heist of the century".
Best wrestling commentary tandem of all time, for me!
Ha, would love Cole to see this
I think him going "Professional wrestling is BACK!" lasy WrestleMania really highlighted just how much Cole enjoys his job now and how liberated he feels to no longer be pupetteered around by Vince McMahon. Hearing hil say that sounded so cathartic.
What amazes me most about Cole is that he totally owns up to the most embarassing moments he's been involved in and happily cracks jokes about them, even though they more likely weren't his fault.
And man, can you imagine a Cole & Taz commentary team-up THESE days?!
I am glad to see Michael Cole getting the acclaim he's deserved for a long time now. Among his strongest talents as a commentator is his ability to get the audience to sympathise with the underdog babyface, and there are countless examples of this throughout his career: Mick Foley's WWE title win over The Rock, Eddie Guerrero against Brock Lesnar at No Way Out, Rey Mysterio's showing in the 2006 Royal Rumble, Tyler Bate in the inaugural NXT UK Championship tournament, and of course, Daniel Bryan's triumph at WrestleMania XXX. Basically, Cole is at his best when calling matches featuring plucky or undersized wrestlers facing insurmountable odds.
I hated Cole until the first UK tournament, finally understood it was nothing to do with him and that he was in fact a really good commentator and broadcaster. Loving seeing him flourish now
Just starting this video.. 10 seconds in. Am i going to get emotional??
Fall of 1998 I related to his commentary so much. He made everything sound so exciting, unpredictable and new to him. Which was exactly how I felt then, discovering the fed and watching Raw for those first few months. Truly magical time in my life.
Thank you for making this video, Adam and the Cultaholic team! I 100% agree with everything you said. Michael deserves his flowers for all his work, not just his recent efforts. It truly is cathartic to see him get to really let loose and be more expressive, goofy, and excitable along with Pat. When the day comes that the torch gets passed, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will be sobbing.
Heel Michael Cole was criminally underrated.
Colemine heel Michael Cole was one of the best heels in the business and i wont accept any other opinion 🤣
Clicked on this vid expecting a VERY different type of love letter
From a certain Jon H?
I once despised Michael Cole but now have a huge amount of respect for him and he’s clearly found a new lease of life on commentary post-Vince.
Also to Pacitti, please do more videos like this and not just voiceovers. You’ll never know how much you’ve entertained me and I’m sure many others over the years ❤
I was not a fan of Cole when he first appeared. He was Pettingill's replacement, nothing more, and I wasn't a fan of Pettingill, either. However, I admire Cole's perseverance for putting up with McMahon, and honestly, he grew on me as an announcer. Someone commented that Cole has the patience of a saint to deal with Vince rambling and screaming in his headset for so long, and boy, ain't that the truth. Nearly three decades years in the game and Cole has reached legend status. His professionalism is bar none and he has earned his flowers. Nice video!
The fact they now have much more freedom with nothing but the limits of TV without being fed what to say really shines through their work and it shows. I loved hearing him on SmackDown then when Lawler had that heart attack live on RAW, i found a new respect for him. I can only imagine when WWE moves to Netflix we'll see him go even stronger
I love the longer hair Adam!
And yes glad you are giving Cole his flowers
You'´ve done it once more, I got a tear in my eye! Thank you for this honest wonderful video with which I could not agree more!
I’m proud of Michael Cole. I remember when he first started out, and though I’ve been only a casual fan of modern wrestling the last few years, seeing him lead the play by play for Wrestlemania this year was a really cool full circle moment.
A lot of people forget that before he came to WWE Cole was actually a journalist for almost a decade, covering some pretty big time stuff, the dude has always had talent just became a problem as Vince became crazier and crazier.
I remember when the original UK Title Tournament was announced everyone was so disappointed that Cole was going to be doing play by play. Then everyone being surprised with how good he was alongside Nigel McGuinness. It’s good that he’s getting the chance to commentate on a regular basis without Vince McMahon yelling in his ear for hours on end, he actually looks like he’s enjoying himself as well. It makes for such a better viewing experience.
Michael Cole is the man.
I went to a Raw taping back in January and the pop Michael got when he came out with his theme music and with the fans outstretching their hands for high-fives really hit me in the feels :,)
I am SO sad that this video is not hosted by Ross 😢😢😢
I’m a Coleminer for life… Michael Cole genuinely has been my favorite since 2002 personally. From him and Taz calling the main event of my personal favorite WrestleMania XIX, calling a ton of my favorite matches of the ruthless aggression era, his poise and strength when he had to give bad news about his broadcast partner Jerry Lawler in Montreal when King had that terrible heart attack, how he has become a mentor to a lot of people with JBL, Corey Graves, and many others…
Cole is genuinely one of my favorite play by play announcers ever, when Cole called Summerslam 2022 I just felt like, this is the Cole that the world needed to understand why he’s that damn good and it’s been amazing ever since
Okay, with the longer hair and suit... Adam is working it.
I watched an episode of Velocity from back around 2003 with Cole and Josh Matthews on commentary and it was one of the best shows ever. It was filmed in the Cow Palace and everytime Matthews would say Cow Palace, Cole would yell "Moo!"
I never had a problem with him, and I always liked him back in the attitude era.
Cole was able to quickly get me up to date on why I should care about storylines and wrestlers I had no idea who they were when I first started watching. He's spectacular
Great video and tribute to one of the greatest commentators to have ever lived.
Cheers from France!
It was never too late for Michael Cole to get his flowers. It's great that people recognize how great Cole is on commentary. The only time we really "hated" him was when we realize that it was Vince McMahon screaming in his ear. Cole getting to be himself to on both as a commentator and as a fan of pro wrestling was a breath of fresh air for him. It's proof that for 25 years, dude knows his shit.
Michael Cole has been a constant for me and my love of wrestling since he got there. Definitely points where i couldn't stand him but that's him doing his job. He is the GOAT for me. And now watching this just solidified it even more for me. Can't wait for him to be inducted into the HoF.
*Michael Cole having Pat McAfee as his sidekick definitely revitalized his passion like he said, in my mind he's definitely the greatest WWE commentator ever.*
The best is yet to come. Michael is a trooper for surviving 25 years with Vince hollering in his ear and he's flourished since Vince left.
“Dammit, I love professional wrestling”
---Michael Cole
Hands down, the realest call I’ve ever heard on commentary.
My favorite Michael Cole commentary pairing was when he was with Tazz on Smackdown. Even though I enjoyed his pairing Jerry Lawler, JBL, Booker T & Corey Graves, I loved Cole & Tazz's commentary pairing together. Tazz's calls such as whenever Undertaker or Kane attempted a chokeslam, which he says "Goozle city" or Brock Lesnar delivering an F5 "Here comes the pain, Cole! Here comes the pain!" It was on commentary that Booker T created the bizarre "Shucky Ducky Quack Quack" phrase, which is still crazy to me. Jim Ross & Jerry "The King" Lawler is the GOAT WWE commentary team for the Attitude & Ruthless Aggression Eras, but I think that Michael Cole & Pat McAfee's pairing is approaching the beloved status of his pairing with Tazz & JR & Jerry Lawler's pairing. Thank you, Michael Cole.
Michael Cole is and has been a legend for most of his run in WWE! I've been a fan of his the whole time I've been a fan of WWE.
Adam is the picture of "early 80's ITV sport host" with that suit
Fully agree. He is amazing now and it was never his fault. We saw a glimpse at the show in Japan, but he is finally free and with his best broadcast partner. Truly outstanding.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so good for you. Its an opinion I couldn't disagree with more but nonetheless you like what you like. The bit especially about him coming up with the right turn of phrase at the right moment is especially wrong to me. We know he has these things written up before hand, like when Shane went off the top of the Hell in a Cell through the announcers table with the airbag under it and the camera clearly has him reading off his script, "For the love of Mankind". These examples aren't him being witty. Its him reading from the pre-planned run sheet schedule.
Longevity isn't something to be celebrated when we follow a career where watching on mute was preferably to listening to the commentary. I'm not just talking about the "Oh My!" and "Its Boss Time" or "Vintage" crap that he always said, but just how disrespectful he was to the actual matches going on in the ring talking about literally anything else, for decades. The group of friends I used to watch with, we'd do our OWN commentary just to drown out the disrespectful shit that he was saying having the volume up just enough so we could still hear the crowd reactions and slams on the mat.
Anybody doing anything for two decades will have some good moments. What isn't taken into account is how many good moments you were robbed of because that undeserving person was in the position they were in, instead of someone far more suitable.
I remember when Cole was just a 90 lb backstage interviewer that would get bullied all the time.
He really dug his heels in and earned his way straight into the Hall of Fame, just watch.
Ruthless Aggression era kid here who grew up a bigger Smackdown fan than Raw cause I could stay up later on Friday night gotta say no matter who he’s at the desk with Cole is the all time greatest flat out commentator pro wrestling has ever seen he’s the WWE equivalent to somebody like Bob Costas like you know anytime something is called by Costas it’s gonna be solid Michael Cole is that for wrestling don’t get me wrong any Dream booking type match I’d always want commentated by King and JR cause that’s who did the most important moments of my youth and their constant little colloquialisms are generally more entertaining moment to moment but you need some body on zero notice to go call a match between two fresh to the roster guys who the crowd isn’t into already gimme Maggle Cole and that crowd will love one of those dudes or the other in 10 minutes
Honestly I always kind of liked him as a commentator on the desk ever since the days of the smackdown six because back then we got to see the talent he has for what he does
His call of Mankind winning the WWF Title at the end of the Monday Night War will always hit hard in the feelings.
Awesome commentator, I always loved him
Michael Cole has ALWAYS been good and I think detractors forgot that him and Tazz and to a lesser extent him and JBL were more than solid duos in the 2000s
Thing about Cole in the past to me was that he is such a staunch professional that he'll always give you EXACTLY what you say you want. Give him freedom to just let loose and he's been magic
Cole is a legend. A dude who put in every hour of his life into his work... Always admired him and his hard work..
Thank you Cole keep up the good work!!
The greatest rival of Bayley i would say
Michael Cole and Tazz were the first commentary team i watched on a weekly basis, watching the Smackdown replay on Sky 1 on Saturday morning. Their chemistry was highly entertaining and made me a fan of both men. Id love for them to reunite one day.
The thing that wasn't mentioned here but showed just how much he was being hindered was the United Kingdom Championship Tournament way back in 2017.
For those two shows, Cole was absolutely brilliant. It was night and day to what we got from him on the weekly shows and was having banter with Nigel McGuinness alongside him and everything just felt natural and smooth and he sounded genuinely excited during it. He basically got to be himself that weekend then, unfortunately, he had to go back to being a marionette. But it showed everyone how good he actually was/is.
Cole's call of CM Punk vs. John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011 is one of the best things ever. Go back and watch it, that match was fantastic but it became legendary with the help of Cole really selling the gravity of Punk winning that match.
Cole is a rock of WWE commentary. Sometimes the rock is slimy, and sometimes you stub your toe on it, but a rock of the desk none the less.
If you go back to that United Kingdom Championship Tournament at Blackpool in 2017 that was the 1st time in a while we got to hear the Michael Cole of old, under Triple H producing the show that weekend, and felt like MC enjoyed the product in front of him
Just listened to this on the dog walk. Bloody brilliant summary of his career. What a guy!
It turned for me when him and Nigel did the UK tourny. I was like holy shit Micheal Cole is a wrestling announcer!!! I realized then with less production/VInce in his ear he was awesome.
it became painfully obvious michael cole was never the issue. it was the person screaming obscenities into his ear who had the very serious issues.
Think about the consistency of this man. JR, King, Taz, all the other guys he worked with, they were in and out either of their own volition (because they couldn't stand Vince's meddling) or they were fired (again by Vince's meddling). Cole stuck it out. He put up with that jackass barking in his ear for YEARS and just did his job. And now that the leash has been taken off, we finally get to see that Michael Cole is goddamned great at what he does. And as for that entire era of being under Vince's micromanagement, all you need to see is how he reacted when King had his heart attack. If that didn't give you an idea of just what a consummate professional and yet caring human being Michael Cole is, then you're blind.
Michael Cole is a fricking legend.
Replacing a legend is never easy. It's hard enough if you're replacing a legend who dies or just can't do the job well anymore. When you're replacing one who's still good, there's going to be some inevitable serious backlash -- even if it's not fair. It gets even tougher if you're being micromanaged by your boss, especially when the boss is out of touch. But even before Vince left, there were a few moments of Cole's career where he was far enough away from Vince's reach that we could all see he's actually pretty good. I'm happy that he's gotten to show that even more now that Vince is gone.
Never thought that I would get emotional about a video on Michael Cole. I love this. Thank you Adam.
And thank you Michael.
Michael Cole is a legend and it’ll be a very sad day when we tune into WWE TV and don’t hear his voice greeting us anymore.
Thanks!
Thank you, guys!!
Mitchel Cole early days on SD from 1999/2002/03 he was really good, i've always been a MC fan, half your subscribers wont even know he was the Origaal SD announcer with King
I didn’t watch wrestling until after the Cole heel run, so I have Always loved Michael Cole.
I always liked Cole. Him and Taz on Smackdown back in the day were a great duo. I'm glad he's getting the respect he deserves.
I can imagine how Michael Cole announces his retirement, during the Royal Rumble, he is introduced as the only person with Undefeated record in WWE . Then Michael gets the Mic and says,
"CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE- "
Then proceeds to announces his retirement under good terms, and here comes JR. And Jerry
Thank you for doing this, I’m so glad to see him get his flowers at last
Michael Cole and Tazz on Smackdown commentary were an iconic part of my childhood growing up in the Ruthless Aggression era
Michael Cole has always been my hero
I think we can all sympathize with having a boss micromanaging and constantly looking over our shoulder. Then, getting criticized for decisions your boss made and everyone thinking you're a bad employee when really you just are saving face for your boss.
I'm glad he's finallly getting his a-Cole-ades after all this time. Vince screaming in his ear soured him to so many for so long. Left to his own devices it's clear this is a role he's always been suited for and it's a shame it took over two decades for him to shine.
The guest of the century was said by JBL
Still love the video
Also Cole's debut wasn't on Raw but on the 6/7/97 episode of Shotgun Challenge, the daytime version of Shotgun Saturday Night, replacing Kevin Kelly on commentary for a bit and with Jim Cornette introducing him on screen.
Turns out that when he's not acting as the Mouth of Sauron, Cole is actually good at his job. Very glad for him.
I think, if nothing else, if you don't watch any other wrestling company, how Cole has transformed in the last year and change has shown just how badly Vince could make some people look when he was the one running the content.
Couldn't have clicked in this video fast enough! Cheer lads.
As goofy as the lads on this channel can be my favorite thing is when they just sit down and belt out excellent content like this. I agree 100%.
Michael Cole's "Lesnar is hurt!" during the first Lesnar vs returning Goldberg match was very good, too! Sold that spear as hard as Brock did
Underrated moment with Michael Cole was when he and Nigel McGuinness called the NXT UK championship tournament.
At this point Maggle Cole is pretty much the voice of WWE, definitivley a first ballot Hall of Famer, truly cemented by his spastic yeeting which gives off some serious "Dad on his daughters sleepover party" energy
maggle?
The Michael Cole glazing is crazy. I don't see that much of a difference even without Vince in his ear.
Michael Cole is the perfect of how some people are at their best when you just let them do their magic.
Vince is such a good heel that he turned HHH, Steph and Michael Cole into fan favourites
The first hint I really got that Cole was actually really good without Vince yammering in his ear was the second Mae Young Classic. He did a good job during the tournament.
Cheers to Michael Cole: one of the best to ever do it.
I liked heel Cole on NXT. Him and Josh Mathews, who was supposed the babyface announcer, would both mock what was going on in the ring and Matt Striker when things fell apart, which happened frequently on that show. Almost MST3K style.
Definitely agree that Cole deserves his flowers. The last line in this video caught me off guard. It's well documented how much Adam loves Heenan, and I think that's why I was so caught off guard. Cole still has plenty left in the tank, even with potential successor in Graves on deck. But at this point and knowing that there is still more Cole to come, is he the best ever behind that booth??? It's hard to make an argument against it..