Say Something Nice About... Michael Cole

[TWJC: The Beginning]

K, so I'm pretty vocal about how much I hate all the negativity and general IWC bullshit. So I'm going to try to create more of a positive culture. This may or may not be my only "say something nice about..." threads. I will typically find guys who the IWC shits on all the time to force you fuckers to think critically for one second, or at least to pretend like you enjoy the product, or even to admit a dirty little secret you didn't previously want to tell complete strangers through the anomynity (spelling?) of a message board.

So, first "episode" or whatever, Michael Cole. I want you to think very hard and give 5 reason's he's good at his job. Don't give me bullshit answers either like "lol iunno he speaks clear english".

I would go first, but I pretty much always defend Cole for being a good heel, being over, etc and I want to hear what you guys say. I'll give my 5 later. Plus it'd be easy for me to come up with 5, I want to challenge myself by saying 5 things you guys don't come up with.

 

[Suibon]

He's been doing his job as a cocky heel commentator really well, bitchslapping and getting bitchslapped by both King and Ross, which makes me reminisce of - of all guys - Jonathan Coachman.

Also, for his role in rejuvenating the Divas division and his making Jack Swagger palatable to me again... I cherish what he has done, I really do.​

 

[ipswichicon80]

Ok when I saw the heading "say something nice about Michael Cole I was just going to write: He's not Mike Adamle. But I like a challenge so here goes.

1.) He has huge heat as a heel(although I'm not sure if this is "heel" heat or just pure hatred for the guy).
2.) He occasionally comes out with amusing lines(Not his old lame JR jokes I hasten to add).
3.) He logically explains the reasons for the heels actions.
4.) He will happily take bumps/make himself look foolish on a regular basis.
5.) Erm....He's not Mike Adamle?

Sorry to fall back to a joke one to finish but to be honest I struggled getting to four. The problem I have with Cole,and the commentary team in general,is far too often I find myself distracted from the in ring action due to the fact the commentators are talking about things not related to the in ring action(how fat JR is,Twitter,silly bickering over someone mispronouncing a word etc). Also the guy gets way too much air time his Coles challenge took 20 minutes and aside from Jr dancing(which was a hoot) and CM Punks introduction it achieved nothing.

I happen to like my passion too,that's why I want it to be better. Imagine if someone on the active roster got the time and attention that Michael Coles been getting. It could have made a new star. Instead we just have an annoying commentator.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Ok when I saw the heading "say something nice about Michael Cole I was just going to write: He's not Mike Adamle. But I like a challenge so here goes.

1.) He has huge heat as a heel(although I'm not sure if this is "heel" heat or just pure hatred for the guy).
2.) He occasionally comes out with amusing lines(Not his old lame JR jokes I hasten to add).
3.) He logically explains the reasons for the heels actions.
4.) He will happily take bumps/make himself look foolish on a regular basis.
5.) Erm....He's not Mike Adamle?

Sorry to fall back to a joke one to finish but to be honest I struggled getting to four. The problem I have with Cole,and the commentary team in general,is far too often I find myself distracted from the in ring action due to the fact the commentators are talking about things not related to the in ring action(how fat JR is,Twitter,silly bickering over someone mispronouncing a word etc). Also the guy gets way too much air time his Coles challenge took 20 minutes and aside from Jr dancing(which was a hoot) and CM Punks introduction it achieved nothing.

I happen to like my passion too,that's why I want it to be better. Imagine if someone on the active roster got the time and attention that Michael Coles been getting. It could have made a new star. Instead we just have an annoying commentator.

If Cole wasn't getting "heel heat" then he wouldn't be as over and the quarter hour ratings for him would drop, WWE can tell the difference, they have far more researchers than we do finding this shit out. It's why I think it's batshit crazy when people claim that Cena's heat is "legit". WWE knows what's going on.

I understand wanting it better, but I also watch wrestling from a non-selfish perspective. I don't like some of what Cole does or that he gets so much air time at times. He amuses me on commentary, which is enough for me. However, I see that he's very VERY over and I'd rather the crowd boo him instead of not giving a shit for a match between two midcarders.

Your point number 4 is something I don't think most people get. There's all this "poor JR getting treated like shit" but Cole does a lot of degrading stuff too. The reason he works as a heel is because he's kinda disgusting looking too, he wears that ridiculous singlet. Although I credit the sympathy JR gets on here and the lack of sympathy for Cole as a sign of how good they are at being a babyface/heel than anything.

If there were two wrestlers who were as over as JR and Cole as a heel and face, you could make it a sub main event at mania no joke. Cole gets boos just grabbing a mic, JR gets a pop just grabbing one. Imagine if Cole were a wrestler and JR (also a wrestler) kicks out of his finish?

I don't think it's a sign that "they've put too much into them and could have gotten 2 wrestlers that over" because frankly, JR and Cole are really good at their jobs and most wrestlers can't carry a character that well but are great athletes.

 

[JamJam]

Hmm, I really despise Michael Cole's heel persona. But hell, I guess that's one reason he's good at his job. The heat that he gets is almost Vickie Guerrero-like already. Turning heel is really the way to go in WWE, they make their faces look not as strong as their heels, that's what I think.

Cole was EXCELLENT when he called the action. He's a good commentator and I was hoping that after his feud with Lawler was over, that he'd go back to being just a regular commentator but no.

He'd be an excellent manager. Give him to someone who is in need of some heat, Del Rio? Lol. But really, Cole would be pretty good as a manager.

The funny thing is, when Cole was face, he was still getting heat from the crowd who just hated him. Haha. Idk, maybe it was just the word-bashing my Rocky to Cole back in the day that made people despise Cole too. So it looks like WWE did it's homework and said, "What the hell, let's make him heel." And what do you know, it worked out for Cole. Good for him.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

Micheal Cole is a guy I wan't to beat the living shit out of. That means he is good at doing his job, which in turn brings in more heat to him. If you hate him like so many people do (some claim its the "get off my screen hate") than WWE has successfully invested you into the character and now the face that finally shuts him up will have the reaction transferred from Cole to him and get him over.

All that said he does distract during matches, but it is usually when involving meaningless matches like Santino vs Swagger or Dolph vs Anyone you know it going to job to him. The biggest issue I have from him though is that his character has not really gotten anyone he has hated over since Daniel Bryan. This is a thread about the good stuff relating to Cole so I will stick to that. His voice and obnoxiousness makes you want to strangle him and just say something to him mean. Another thing that I have noticed is that unless you are in the audience you feel helpless to shut Cole up, since Lawler fails at doing that most of the time. I know you can hit the mute button but face it you do not want to because you hate Cole so much that you wait and wait fro him to get owned or beat up. That is what makes a great heel, a guy that makes you wait and builds up to the point where the face will come in and become the ultimate hero, getting him over with the crowd. In my opinion that is a heel's main purpose other than to entertain (which is always the main thing). Cole has found a hellacious antagonist inside of him, and the fans wait for the next hero to shut him up, other than Jerry though.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Micheal Cole is a guy I wan't to beat the living shit out of. That means he is good at doing his job, which in turn brings in more heat to him. If you hate him like so many people do (some claim its the "get off my screen hate") than WWE has successfully invested you into the character and now the face that finally shuts him up will have the reaction transferred from Cole to him and get him over.

All that said he does distract during matches, but it is usually when involving meaningless matches like Santino vs Swagger or Dolph vs Anyone you know it going to job to him. The biggest issue I have from him though is that his character has not really gotten anyone he has hated over since Daniel Bryan. This is a thread about the good stuff relating to Cole so I will stick to that. His voice and obnoxiousness makes you want to strangle him and just say something to him mean. Another thing that I have noticed is that unless you are in the audience you feel helpless to shut Cole up, since Lawler fails at doing that most of the time. I know you can hit the mute button but face it you do not want to because you hate Cole so much that you wait and wait fro him to get owned or beat up. That is what makes a great heel, a guy that makes you wait and builds up to the point where the face will come in and become the ultimate hero, getting him over with the crowd. In my opinion that is a heel's main purpose other than to entertain (which is always the main thing). Cole has found a hellacious antagonist inside of him, and the fans wait for the next hero to shut him up, other than Jerry though.

I think I've said this too many times, but you bring up a great point about Lawler. Lawler is why Cole is so annoying. In pro wrestling, we live vicariously. Lawler sucks at his job. He is the former wrestler, he knows (supposedly) the moves. He should call the moves and blast back at Cole. He doesn't. So Cole seems overbearing like he's running away with the show. Which is a double-edged sword.

In other words, Cole is so good at his job, because no one else is, it makes Cole annoying because it seems like he's taking over the show. It's like watching a 6th grade basketball game and only 1 kid has hit puberty and is driving the lane for an easy lay-up every time. You hate the kid at first, think he's a ball hog, then you realize his team sucks so he HAS to do it all. Cole needs someone to work with that he doesn't outshine.

 

[Paralyzer Z]

I think I've said this too many times, but you bring up a great point about Lawler. Lawler is why Cole is so annoying. In pro wrestling, we live vicariously. Lawler sucks at his job. He is the former wrestler, he knows (supposedly) the moves. He should call the moves and blast back at Cole. He doesn't. So Cole seems overbearing like he's running away with the show. Which is a double-edged sword.

In other words, Cole is so good at his job, because no one else is, it makes Cole annoying because it seems like he's taking over the show. It's like watching a 6th grade basketball game and only 1 kid has hit puberty and is driving the lane for an easy lay-up every time. You hate the kid at first, think he's a ball hog, then you realize his team sucks so he HAS to do it all. Cole needs someone to work with that he doesn't outshine.

You really just summed up everything that make Cole so hated. Cole for lack of better words POWNS both Lawler and Booker T, neither blast back all that often and give Cole the victory about 90% of the time they argue about how a heel has done something wrong. This is why it is all the more special when Cole gets his ass kicked by Austin, Cena, or Punk, because the fans know that neither one of the face commentators can not contain Cole or his villainy so the guys in the ring will just have to do it.

 

[j2dlyc]

Cole is one of the best commentators in wrestling, period. He's the only person who gets even close to getting vickie guerrero type heat from the fans, this is what a good heel does, ask Jericho.

 

[CoadyCoates]

Say 5 good things about Michael Cole...piece of cake!

1) He's GREAT on the stick
Hate him or love him, there might not be ANYBODY in the business better than Cole on the Mic. His timing is perfect, he knows how to work the crowd, and the word OVER doesn't even begin to describe where he is with the crowd.

2) His ability to put people OVER, or UNDER (so to speak)
When Cole talks about heels, he puts them over with such ease, you'd think he sits down with creative and tells THEM, how there character should be. You get the sense that he actually takes the time to sit down with these guys and get to know them on a personal level. When it comes to Faces, he buries them at will, almost giving you the sense that he truley can't stand these guys, which leads to my next point...

3) He's a HEEL at Heart
I'm going to use a NFL anaology for just a second, so stay with me...You can take a guy, and plug him at any postion on the field, but some guys are just born to play certain postions. Some guys love to get after the QB, that's all they want to do, some guys take pride in not letting their QB get touched. Everybody WANTS to run the ball, but only a few are truley good at it. Cole was born to be a heel. He doesn't think, he simply reacts. His hatred towards Faces is natural. The tone is his voice when talking about a guy like Cena would suggest that if he had the ability to, he'd personally take them out of action, which becomes even more interesting considering Cena and Cole are good friends in real life. And to better this point, Randy Orton would be a good example of a guy who was BORN to be a HEEL, because lets be honest, he SUUUUUUCKS, as a face. (characterwise only, I think he's GREAT in the ring)

4) Always on point, concise
What the hell does that mean? In other words, how often do you hear Cole "mess up"? He's always on top of his shit and can deliver a slue of wordy sentences without the slightest hesitation. How often does Booger T fudge up? Exactly! Now, I understand Booker hasn't been doing this nearly as long, but even if they were on the same page as far as years were concerned, he'd still be leaps and bounds above everybody else, which is exactly where he is now.

5) He's Irreplacable
Plain and simple, nobody can do what Cole does as well as Cole does, period. Imagine WWE without him? Would the product FAIL without him? Probably not, but it most certainly wouldn't be the same without him. Lawler's washed up, Booker's a joke, Matthews BLOWS, and JR's simply a shell of his former self. All in all, you LOVE Michael Cole, you just don't realize it yet!

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Michael Cole is a great pro wrestling heel. He gets the most heat on a WWE show with the possible exception of Vickie Guerrero. He may be a bad commentator but he has turned that weakness of his into his strength. He is one of the few guys who, even in a world in which pro wrestling is no longer viewed with rose tinted glasses due to the advent of the internet, is genuinely hated by every single wrestling fan. Every one loves to see Cole get beaten up, humiliated or in agonizing distress resulting from constipation. Cole is one of the few guys in the WWE who can singlehandedly make a guy from an absolute nobody to hot property within a matter of weeks.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Michael Cole is good at drawing heat. When it comes to epitomizing someone you want to hate, Michael Cole may be one of the best currently in professional wrestling at doing so. He comes across as an annoying, whining bitch on commentary but that is kind of what makes you hate him which is the reaction he's attempting to gain from the audience. If WWE want to draw heat, Michael Cole is up there with Vickie Guerrero as someone who can instantly do it, place either of them beside any heel in the WWE and you've got yourself a heat magnet.

 

[sabataged]

Michael Cole went from a robot like no personality commentator to one of the biggest characters on the program. I just think they should of transitioned him from the commentary spot to the General Manager role or another role like McMahon did back in the day.

 

[Rammsteinerteen]

Michael has been very annoying, and I know he's trying to be. But honestly, that's not what a commentator should be at ANY circumstance.

Anyways, on topic, I would say that Michael Cole is hilarious. He fails to make me laugh at times where he's just being stupid. Otherwise a lot of his stuff is funny because sometimes it's the truth. But I never laugh when he gives such bull shit insults against Daniel Bryan.

 

[The_Reptile_]

If nothing else, Cole could make an excellent Heel manager. Hell that's what I've been saying WWE should be doing with him since his angle with Lawler started since the beginning of the year. Nobody, not even Vickie, gets better heat than Cole. Just aligning with Cole could get a Heel a major boost.

 

[kokoBawesome]

He does an excellent job of forgetting his character. He's a douche-heel arguing with the King in one match, and in the next they're crackin' jokes like old college buddies.

 

[kvtiger_8]

Cole definitely is a heat magnet, like others on here have said. I would say he's 2nd to Vicky Guerrero (not first, Swagger gets more heat now with Vicky than he did with Cole). With that being said, I think his talents could really be used to be a manager for an up and coming heel, like maybe a Tyler Reks or another monster. He could really be the cowardly guy that hides behind his guy. His ability to get a reaction could really be used to push a heel, if they ever decide to go that route.

 

[RicoLen]

I'm not sure if there's anything I have to add to this conversation. I agree 100% and have said for ages, that it's not a matter of Cole being bad in any way shape or form. It's just that he's a dominant heel on the mic and there are no dominant faces on the mic.

If you put a very witty and on the ball face that's a former wrestler, someone like (but definitely not limited to) HHH opposite Michael Cole that can both physically and verbally lay the smack down on Cole then I would tune in weekly for no other reason than to see (or hear?) Cole get put in his place. That was the dynamic that made Heenan and Monsoon so great. Monsoon was not on Heenan's level, but he could hold his own, and Heenan would give Monsoon an opening here and there so he could get the verbal victory and it made for the best commentating duo in WWE history.

I had another thread in the raw forum where I talked about how another option was to turn king heel again and leave Cole alone. Listening to King Cole talk trash about both Vickie Guerrero & J.R. was hilarious, they were having a blast, and I was loving it too. If they did that however they would definitely have to have what's his name as the third guy to do play by play and more or less stay out of the way otherwise.

In any case, Cole is spot on exactly what he should be, they just need a strong foil that can make him look like a fool.

 

[Brian440]

Not trying to start up anything but I'm a grown man and I speak my mind. I see you have well over 1,000 posts so your clearly one of the head honchos on this forum....I think this is a rather silly thread. Like it or not, there are certain people who are always going to bitch and complain and there isn't a whole lot one can do to stop that. But on with my reply:

1. Cole is great at getting heat. He's by far one of the top 3 heel CHARACTERS on WWE Tv right now.

2. He can be a good commentator. I've never really had an issue with Cole's play by play. Yeah he botches now and then but who doesn't? No one's perfect.

3. He's a decent promo.

4. His character seems real to me. I really feel that what you see on TV is kind of how he is in real life.

5. He's willing to embarrass himself for the company. I respect that.

 

[Johnny Scumm]

He's brilliant, full stop. He's gold on the mic and he's just great at what he does. He's not afraid to make himself look very, very stupid for comedy value, or just to sell the "Cole-Mine". The promos that he cut on King running up to Wrestlemania were absolutely brilliant. Whether mentioning Lawlers mother was too far or not was up for debate, but it was still brilliant. I've always enjoyed listening to Michael Cole and will always continue to.

 

[sniper rifle maurice]

Cole is really good on the mic maybe better then most wrestlers. He can make something small be huge and gots great twitter skills just like

AND I QUOTE

 

[EastCoastFan]

I never thought Michael was THAT bad of an announcer prior to WWE trying to make him a heel. I think the crowd reaction he got had more to do with him replacing the irreplacable Jim Ross, and fans were going to hate whoever got that spot.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Cole is great at making the fans angry or annoyed because he is aware of the hatred most of the IWC has for his announcing skills or lack thereof, so he uses their hatred of him to get himself more over as a heel. Other than Vickie, Cole is bar none the most annoying person in WWE and he is good at generating heel heat. He's doing his job. People used to hate him for no reason other than "he sucked" but now it's his job to make you dislike him and he's not bad at it.

 

[TheGamea]

I think he's great I mean heel WHY are all the GOOD heel (that you dont or didnt already love likeable) BECUZ you hate them...

5 reasonz

1. He reminds me of vince I dunno, why but he does I was thinking aboout it last raw, but he reminds me of vince...when vince was an announcer

2. Hes funny sometimes corny but when he did SD when it was first on scfy or a women match its funny

3. hes undeafeated at wrestlemania

4. ok im stuck but I couldnt name 5 things I like about HH or the Miz...

 

[The Champ]

Well, for one, he's the best commentator the WWE has. I know that statement might be controversial to some, but think about it. This guy has been doing the job since the late 90's and is excellent at calling the action when he actually does. He always puts some kind of emotion into his calls and tells the story of what is going on in the match very well. His heel character can get in the way a lot of the time, but a lot of people confuse that with his actual commentating ability, which is silly. If anything, Lawler is the problem on Raw, because he contributes nothing meaningful to the broadcasts anymore besides getting into meaningless arguments with Cole. Booker is such a better foil for him right now.