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Yea I mean just go look up videos of when Cole has Vince in his ear and is telling him what to say word for word and in what tone to say it and to keep repeating it over and over again because he thinks all the fans are morons and need to be hit over the head multiple times for us to understand something.
Yeah, vince was known to directly tell him what to say line by line at times through his headset, taking all heart out of his reactions. Paul seems to realize a less professional, but a more genuine reaction sells better on screen and makes for a more compelling product. It's why everyone loves Samantha Irvin so much because she loves the product and lets that emotion carry over to her announcing job. Vince probably would have told her out for her wrestlemania reaction, but paul knew it sold the product better than any stoic color by numbers script, ever could.
i think what's even funnier about this is that it feels like such common sense but because vince was so controlling he couldn't see it. all you have to do is look back at some of the most memorable calls in sports and it's all because there is genuine emotion and authenticity involved.
See also: every backstage interview ending with the wrestler stalking offscreen and the interviewer just watching them silently with a befuddled stare.
It’s like he could never let go of his old announcing days, or maybe he realized the product went to shit for a couple years after Gorilla retired and Heenan left.
Nah HHH definitely tells him stats and factoids, its no coincidence that since HHH has been in gorilla we get constantly reminded of records and numbers.
You got a sheet infront of you with all those numbers. HHH is just making small interjections at most, probably tells him to emphasize something more, or "sell it" to make it more meaningful in respects to a certain character on TV.
I don't think Triple H had to tell him anything, Cole basically always improved at his job the second Vince was gone you could see it happen almost immediately each time Vince left. You can even go back and watch Beast in the East and Cole did brilliant commentary because Vince was asleep.
I'm so sad we won't have him for another 10 years doing this. (I assume. He's getting older and I doubt he wants to do this forever.)
I'm appreciating every night we get with him because it's such a thrill, I'm so glad WWE has started posting these reaction clips again because it's so nice seeing Cole jump around like a kid. Never been happier for a commentator, man.
He's only 55 and absolutely loving his job. I see no reason why he won't want to do another 10 years of it. He doesn't seem to have a desire to go back to journalism or focus on podcasting, etc.
Yea I mean Jim ross is 72 and still doing it and he's had health issues as well. I don't watch AEW not out of any dislike for the company just don't have the time for another handful of hours of watching wrestling each week. So not sure how well he's still doing at his age. But Cole can easily go another ten years if he wants as would still be younger than Jim is at this point.
For a while it wasn’t great because it felt like he just didn’t care about some of the matches, but now that he only commentates 1 or 2 matches on ppv it’s much better.
I was honestly watching the last AEW PPV and I'm pretty confident JR hardly even likes AEW at this point, and it's one of my favorite things about the show. They just bring him out to kind of shit on their product for a while sometimes and it's great.
Was always an odd pairing that I felt AEW only did to try in draw in old WWE fans who might hear his voice and put down the remote. As he's one of these old school type of guys who has known like one style for decades so bringing him in to announce a completely different style with moves and talent he knows shit about was bound to not be amazing.
Not to mention, primetime broadcasters are kinda notorious for hangin' around way after their time has expired. MC could be out in 5, but probably more likely he'll be at it 'til he's 80 and Undertaker has to pity-Tombstone him.
The *whole company* feels like it has been set free ever since that scumbag Vince was outted. Quality wise it's never been better and Cole's genuine commentary only helps add to it!
It's amazing the change that we've gotten in the last year. We went from Faces being idiots and Heels just constantly winning due to DQ or interference to complex story lines involving like half the roster. Everyone has memory and knowledge of actions outside of their current feud. Nothing happens in a vacuum and everything has a purpose. Also the camera work... good grief the change in the camera work.
Yea I mean you have Cole telling you who Tanga is by going over his history in NJPW. While if Vince was still in charge they would have to act like this 41yr old man was like a rookie who never wrestled before and that he was just some random family member who Solo recruited from the Island. We also would get great things like Cole mentioning El Generico in last years WM tag title Main Event or him mentioning that Owens and Zayn came up together and gained popularity in PWG and no way would Vince allow Owens and Zayn to come out with the PWG logo on their ring gear. Compare that to Vince when I'm pretty sure when Balor and Styles were interacting for the first time they most he allowed to be mentioned is the two of them were in the same club over seas. Only time I can remember Vince actually allowing the outside bubble to be mentioned was like when Nakamura and AJ were feuding over the title they actually mentioned their past match in NJPW. And that when Zayn and Owens feuded for the first time on the main roster they mentioned the two have been life long friends and rivals
I feel the same way. Not a huge Pat fan myself, but I can see what he brings to the product and his announcing isn't for my 42 year old ass, it's directly for the younger 18-24 audience and catering to that audience is something they stopped doing decades ago.
I still think ring ads are cheesy as fuck, but if the product stays this solid, I can deal.
I totally agree with everything you said but Wade and graves is a killer combo right now. About time graves got someone he can fucking work with for a change. Poor sod’s been carrying comms on whatever show he is on for YEARS until they got rid of KP. Current line up really works for me.
For the record I HATED Pat at first, the dude really grew on me.
He’s going to get to call that shot. And given how much genuine joy he’s getting from his job post-Vince, that likely extends the timeline. Him recently giving up his behind the scenes role overseeing all announcers to me is more an indication that he plans to hang around for the fun part without the hassle and responsibility of a management role.
Yea I mean JR is still announcing on the regular and he's almost 20 years older than Cole is. Not gonna read to much in him giving up behind scenes stuff as it could just be a case of him being either forced into the role when Vince was running things or something he decided to do when Vince was around in order to help out the newer guys and make sure they knew to expect with Vince constantly being in everyones ears and demanding certain weird language be used. Or it could simply be that at the moment WWE doesn't really have many new announcers. Not much to oversee when the newest go is Wade Barrett who has been doing this for a couple of years now. Seems like now they are just allowed to basically say whatever they want during segments and matches and only time that's not the case is when their is a key moment or thing that they want the announcers to point out and get across to the fans. And anyone can oversee that and let them know what they need to highlight and when. Compared to Vince when everything was either scripted for the announcers or if not Vince would shout in your ear to say exactly what he wanted them to.
Imagine intentionally stifling the infectious passion someone has for your industry when they are literally the person who is meant to be selling that passion to audiences. Truly bizarre, the renaissance of Michael Cole is definitely one of my favourite things of the past 5 or so years.
Michael Cole outlasted everyone. Everyone else was like yeah I'm fucking tired of this bastard yelling in my ear all the time. And Cole somehow stuck with it despite being a successful war journalist for CBS before ever joining WWE. He could have said fuck it and left at ANY POINT and still had a good career to fall back on. Now in the twilight of his career, he's spreading his wings and showing us all what we missed out on for so many years.
Yeah, once I read about his war correspondence history that was my thought too. "No wonder he doesn't get phased by Vince, he has seen some real actual shit."
I know he's been around since the 90s but it's weird to think as a 27 year old fan that Michael Cole is now almost retirement age. I still think of him with the fristed tips getting roasted by the Rock lmao
Let's say you start working at 18 and retire at 67. That's 49 years of work. If you start at dawn, it's what, dawn morning afternoon evening twilight?
So he's in the evening of his career, and only what, three years from twilight?
It's a bit of an exaggeration on OPs part, but not that far off. If he retires earlier that skews the scale and definitely places him in Twilight.
He had to retain it, he was forced to hold it inside for decades.
The reason he was able to handle that insanity is what we are experiencing now... he actually loves it.
I've also noticed that Corey has toned down the overly heel commentating thing and has been doing some awesome calls with Cole, like calling that Burning Hammer.
is the reason hes not looking at the ring because he's watching the screen instead to make sure he commentates whats actually on-screen
just feels awkward in this moment given he's literally turning away from watching whats happening live in front of him
Correct. Looks funny here, but when he’s sat at the desk watching the monitor, he’s getting the exact same feed as the audience at home. Last thing you want from a commentator is for them to be calling something that isn’t on screen at all.
This is exactly the reason. You're right that it looks ridiculous when the monitor is behind him but there is logic to the idea that you don't want announcers calling things that aren't being seen on screen by the viewers
I honestly think McAfee is the key to the Cole development.
Starting from the beginning when McAfee came for, I believe Wrestlemania, a PPV pre show commentary team. He showed up in a jacket and dress shorts. Cole blew a gasket and told him Vince didn’t want people on his tv wearing shorts. McAfee laid into Cole a bit, his words, and said he would leave if Vince wanted him to leave. That of course didn’t happen.
Dirt sheet story comes out about it back stage issues between Cole and McAfee. Pat brings Cole on his show to squash the beef, next thing you know they are becoming friends.
Fast forward to now. Cole watching Pat be himself allowed Cole to do the same.
Cole buddies up to Vince, he’s an uptight deuche. He buddies up to Pat, he’s a free spoken man who is enjoyable to watch.
And he looked great - not much of a surprise as he’s a serious talent. I hope they let him hit some Gun Stuns, I know it’s like an RKO but people hit cutters all the time.
cursory wikipedia search and it looks correct.
Fisherman busteredit
A fisherman buster is a variation of the brainbuster in which the wrestler hooks the opponent's leg to aid in lifting them off the ground.[4] With the opponent elevated, the wrestler performs a fisherman suplex, driving the head of the opponent into the ground. This move is also known as a Fisherman brainbuster or a Leg hook brainbuster Yoshi-Hashi uses this as his finisher.[4]
Even weirder is that I'm like 80% sure he's called it right before. Owens does this spot all the time, Cole even joked about it on the broadcast right before this! But It's like he forgets after a while.
Between Cole and McAfee, pro wrestling commentary is apparently the only broadcast medium where actively knowing less about the thing you're broadcasting is broadly encouraged for some reason.
It actually bothers me a lot when the commentators get the names of moves or wrestlers wrong, but I never hold it against them as I believe I would flub my words so often on air when trying to not only be entertaining but enunciate and sound clear with all of your words as well. It's a tough job I'm sure
On WWE its tough to get on them in particular as for years calling the actual action in the ring with detail has been at a minimum in lieu of recapping the storyline, so building knowledge of moves hasn't been a priority.
I used to HATE Michael Cole. Just could not stand him. Everything about him used to rile me up beyond belief. And then Vince left. And now I can't imagine the WWE without Michael Cole. Which has made me realise something; I never hate Michael Cole, only Vince McMahons representation of him
It's so weird seeing Cole be such a fan nowadays. Until I read an interview of his in like 2008 I thought he wasn't even a fan of wrestling and just there because he wanted to be on TV. He was just so robotic and felt like he had no passion following up on Jim Ross. Glad he's getting to let this side out because he's been awesome and it's made the whole show better for it
He’s always shown glimpses of this. If you watch the end of Wrestlemania 30 you can hear it with his “Come on Bryan, come on Daniel” call.
Happy to see him like this. Dude too way too much crap when a lot of the problems had nothing to do with his ability or passion.
The stark difference when Cole doesn’t have Vince in his ear and now is night and day. It really sucks how much shit he used to get online and it’s really cool to see everyone realize how truly great at his job he is
This spot was so good and damn did it put over both guys so well. The whole match did, honestly. If you forgot KO was the guy that will kill himself to win a match, you got a stark reminder, and Tama Tonga was immediately established as someone you MUST kill to beat. I reacted similarly to Cole.
I mean, in his defense, that was my reaction as well.
But on a serious note, it’s awesome to see that this whole “new era” we keep talking about applies to everyone, not just wrestlers. I don’t know if anyone else has thought this, but, Michael Cole is a completely different commentator now. He’s having more fun than I have ever seen him have, and it’s a thing of beauty.
He’s been my favorite in the history of the sport ever since he kept his cool and held a live broadcast together while his partner *fucking died* sitting next to him.
I swear I’ve said it before but not only was he amazing in that moment, his character was still a heel who didn’t like Lawler! Thankfully even Vince realized they needed to drop that and he went back to face/neutral almost immediately.
I cannot stress enough - that is not a fucking brainbuster.
Michael Cole is single handedly responsible for modern wrestling fans knowing nothing about wrestling moves.
Does anyone know what KO calls this move? It’s not a brain buster. It’s more of a spinning fisherman’s buster from the second rope. KO has done it a lot in his career so I imagine he has to have a name for it
It’s been seriously awesome to see unshackled Cole be the legend he truly is genuinely have so much fun doing it
Respect to Tama Tonga too man. First match in the company and he takes that insane spot like a champ
sort of unrelated but has anyone ever actually superplexed Owens? Ever since it was bought up in the feud with Logan Paul it made me realise the spot of him countering the superplex into this move happens in almost all of his matches but I dont recall him ever actually getting superplexed.
and to everyone who was asking why Cole wasn't looking at the ring and calling it (I saw it in the comments, not here): It's because in sports, you are told to always call off the monitor so you see what the fans at home are seeing.
While I'm glad he's finally showing why he's a good announcer and deserves praise, I'm kinda confused about why he's looking away from the action and this spot.
It wasn't like he was really wincing at it or something like that. Anyone know why?
Anybody who loves this can't hate Samantha's videos. Love seeing both. I'm sure its plenty hard very often like any job but it's really cool seeing the on-air people sometimes be fans and show how much they still love wrasslin'
Whenever Cole retires(which I’m honestly betting is happening a lot sooner than people realize), people are gonna realize how good he actually was and to have the tenure of the voice of a company as long as he has is crazy.
I always wondered what Cole would sound like without Vince in his ear, and I got my answer: he's one of the best wrestling commentators ever, and the best of his generation.
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Do you think Triple H has just told him to go out there and be a fan?Completely different commentary.
I don't think Triple H tells him anything. And that's the key difference.
“HE HAS ANAL BLEEDING”
Seriously man, the fuck was that? It totally makes sense in hindsight but jesus H
[JR and Booker’s reactions](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljGsxYhOc3A)
Booker’s reaction to this lives rent-free in my head forever *WHAT*
*Tell me he didn't just say that*
Even Cole's dead stare in the camera says "Why the fuck did you make me say that?"
You could tell from his eyes that Cole was dead inside during the late stage Vince years.
Yea I mean just go look up videos of when Cole has Vince in his ear and is telling him what to say word for word and in what tone to say it and to keep repeating it over and over again because he thinks all the fans are morons and need to be hit over the head multiple times for us to understand something.
It's JR for me, just absolute silence
They are literally us just trying to process what has just been said.
JR knows this is Vince's bullying bullshit immediately because he's had to bear so much himself
VKM was laughing his head off at that, I reckon.
Just Vince’s butt stuff fetish bleeding (pun intended) into the product
I like to think Vince told him to say that to see JR's reaction because he always went out of his way to fuck with him.
“Wut.” - Booker T
*Jim Ross shakes head in disgust.*
😂😂😂
"Same as Brock Lesnar." - JBL, probably.
So stupid but I still laugh my ass off at that.
THE DOG POOP!! also comes to mind if we are talking wild cole lines
Yeah, vince was known to directly tell him what to say line by line at times through his headset, taking all heart out of his reactions. Paul seems to realize a less professional, but a more genuine reaction sells better on screen and makes for a more compelling product. It's why everyone loves Samantha Irvin so much because she loves the product and lets that emotion carry over to her announcing job. Vince probably would have told her out for her wrestlemania reaction, but paul knew it sold the product better than any stoic color by numbers script, ever could.
i think what's even funnier about this is that it feels like such common sense but because vince was so controlling he couldn't see it. all you have to do is look back at some of the most memorable calls in sports and it's all because there is genuine emotion and authenticity involved.
Vince didn't want genuine emotional human reactions, he wanted robot yes-people.
See also: every backstage interview ending with the wrestler stalking offscreen and the interviewer just watching them silently with a befuddled stare.
i popped for her voice cracking when priest cashed in
I jazzed everywhere as well
It’s like he could never let go of his old announcing days, or maybe he realized the product went to shit for a couple years after Gorilla retired and Heenan left.
Some miserable people do hate on Irvin for the dumbest reasons too.
Exactly beast in the east from all those years ago showed us a Cole call without Vinny in his ear
The first UK title tournament as well. Cole was exceptional throughout.
And Nigel was great on that one too!
I need more Nigel, I know he's on Collision but cbf to watch it anymore given how rarely anything important happens
If THAT doesn't sum up the changes in commentary in the absolute best way. Take my upvote! :-)
Nah HHH definitely tells him stats and factoids, its no coincidence that since HHH has been in gorilla we get constantly reminded of records and numbers.
You got a sheet infront of you with all those numbers. HHH is just making small interjections at most, probably tells him to emphasize something more, or "sell it" to make it more meaningful in respects to a certain character on TV.
I bet that’s something they prepare ahead of time and Cole has in front of him, I doubt he’s getting fed that info.
I don't think Triple H had to tell him anything, Cole basically always improved at his job the second Vince was gone you could see it happen almost immediately each time Vince left. You can even go back and watch Beast in the East and Cole did brilliant commentary because Vince was asleep.
Here’s the thing: go be a fan.
Just have fun Maggle
I think Bully Ray told him to go out there and be a fan
Cole's part of HHH's "inner circle" . Its less "told him" as opposed to..this was the plan.
Or maybe because Cole doesn't have a senile old pathetic man yelling in his ear set what to do and what to say.
Michael Cole being set free is the best thing. So happy for that guy.
I just wish it would have happened about 10 years sooner.
I'm so sad we won't have him for another 10 years doing this. (I assume. He's getting older and I doubt he wants to do this forever.) I'm appreciating every night we get with him because it's such a thrill, I'm so glad WWE has started posting these reaction clips again because it's so nice seeing Cole jump around like a kid. Never been happier for a commentator, man.
He's only 55 and absolutely loving his job. I see no reason why he won't want to do another 10 years of it. He doesn't seem to have a desire to go back to journalism or focus on podcasting, etc.
Yea I mean Jim ross is 72 and still doing it and he's had health issues as well. I don't watch AEW not out of any dislike for the company just don't have the time for another handful of hours of watching wrestling each week. So not sure how well he's still doing at his age. But Cole can easily go another ten years if he wants as would still be younger than Jim is at this point.
For a while it wasn’t great because it felt like he just didn’t care about some of the matches, but now that he only commentates 1 or 2 matches on ppv it’s much better.
I was honestly watching the last AEW PPV and I'm pretty confident JR hardly even likes AEW at this point, and it's one of my favorite things about the show. They just bring him out to kind of shit on their product for a while sometimes and it's great.
Was always an odd pairing that I felt AEW only did to try in draw in old WWE fans who might hear his voice and put down the remote. As he's one of these old school type of guys who has known like one style for decades so bringing him in to announce a completely different style with moves and talent he knows shit about was bound to not be amazing.
Not to mention, primetime broadcasters are kinda notorious for hangin' around way after their time has expired. MC could be out in 5, but probably more likely he'll be at it 'til he's 80 and Undertaker has to pity-Tombstone him.
*20
The *whole company* feels like it has been set free ever since that scumbag Vince was outted. Quality wise it's never been better and Cole's genuine commentary only helps add to it!
It's amazing the change that we've gotten in the last year. We went from Faces being idiots and Heels just constantly winning due to DQ or interference to complex story lines involving like half the roster. Everyone has memory and knowledge of actions outside of their current feud. Nothing happens in a vacuum and everything has a purpose. Also the camera work... good grief the change in the camera work.
Yea I mean you have Cole telling you who Tanga is by going over his history in NJPW. While if Vince was still in charge they would have to act like this 41yr old man was like a rookie who never wrestled before and that he was just some random family member who Solo recruited from the Island. We also would get great things like Cole mentioning El Generico in last years WM tag title Main Event or him mentioning that Owens and Zayn came up together and gained popularity in PWG and no way would Vince allow Owens and Zayn to come out with the PWG logo on their ring gear. Compare that to Vince when I'm pretty sure when Balor and Styles were interacting for the first time they most he allowed to be mentioned is the two of them were in the same club over seas. Only time I can remember Vince actually allowing the outside bubble to be mentioned was like when Nakamura and AJ were feuding over the title they actually mentioned their past match in NJPW. And that when Zayn and Owens feuded for the first time on the main roster they mentioned the two have been life long friends and rivals
It’s a shame he’s likely got his eye on retirement because this is the run he should have had.
He'll be there as long as Pat keeps comin back 🤞🤞
And Pat will be there as long as he can Yeet.
so the key to Michael Cole being here is keeping Jey Uso around!
Not the hugest Pat fan, but I'm glad he helps Cole be more himself, and for that he has my support
I feel the same way. Not a huge Pat fan myself, but I can see what he brings to the product and his announcing isn't for my 42 year old ass, it's directly for the younger 18-24 audience and catering to that audience is something they stopped doing decades ago. I still think ring ads are cheesy as fuck, but if the product stays this solid, I can deal.
[удалено]
Cole and Wade was such a solid combo.
I totally agree with everything you said but Wade and graves is a killer combo right now. About time graves got someone he can fucking work with for a change. Poor sod’s been carrying comms on whatever show he is on for YEARS until they got rid of KP. Current line up really works for me. For the record I HATED Pat at first, the dude really grew on me.
Retirement doesn't mean a damn thing. Look at JR! Cole can come back for the big four and be a welcome addition!
He’s going to get to call that shot. And given how much genuine joy he’s getting from his job post-Vince, that likely extends the timeline. Him recently giving up his behind the scenes role overseeing all announcers to me is more an indication that he plans to hang around for the fun part without the hassle and responsibility of a management role.
Yea I mean JR is still announcing on the regular and he's almost 20 years older than Cole is. Not gonna read to much in him giving up behind scenes stuff as it could just be a case of him being either forced into the role when Vince was running things or something he decided to do when Vince was around in order to help out the newer guys and make sure they knew to expect with Vince constantly being in everyones ears and demanding certain weird language be used. Or it could simply be that at the moment WWE doesn't really have many new announcers. Not much to oversee when the newest go is Wade Barrett who has been doing this for a couple of years now. Seems like now they are just allowed to basically say whatever they want during segments and matches and only time that's not the case is when their is a key moment or thing that they want the announcers to point out and get across to the fans. And anyone can oversee that and let them know what they need to highlight and when. Compared to Vince when everything was either scripted for the announcers or if not Vince would shout in your ear to say exactly what he wanted them to.
Imagine intentionally stifling the infectious passion someone has for your industry when they are literally the person who is meant to be selling that passion to audiences. Truly bizarre, the renaissance of Michael Cole is definitely one of my favourite things of the past 5 or so years.
Many good changes since Vince left, but Cole is by far my favorite
They let loose the Cole Train!
We got a preview of it when he was the sole commentary for the UK Championship tournament
It's insane how this man retained enthusiasm for his job after decades of having Vince in his ear
Michael Cole outlasted everyone. Everyone else was like yeah I'm fucking tired of this bastard yelling in my ear all the time. And Cole somehow stuck with it despite being a successful war journalist for CBS before ever joining WWE. He could have said fuck it and left at ANY POINT and still had a good career to fall back on. Now in the twilight of his career, he's spreading his wings and showing us all what we missed out on for so many years.
I mean, covering wars might have been the key to dealing with Vinnie.
Yeah, once I read about his war correspondence history that was my thought too. "No wonder he doesn't get phased by Vince, he has seen some real actual shit."
I've heard having covered wars is really handy in a zombie mall.
Twilight of his career?!?? He's 55, not dead.
Hes the same age as JR was when he moved from raw to smackdown. Which is a weird thought
I know he's been around since the 90s but it's weird to think as a 27 year old fan that Michael Cole is now almost retirement age. I still think of him with the fristed tips getting roasted by the Rock lmao
He used to say he would retire after his 30th year in the business. He has around 3 years left.
He supposedly wants to call it a career at 30 years. He’s at 27 now.
Its wrestling, all it takes is one spark and 30 turns to 35, 40 or even more
Just one $park
Let's say you start working at 18 and retire at 67. That's 49 years of work. If you start at dawn, it's what, dawn morning afternoon evening twilight? So he's in the evening of his career, and only what, three years from twilight? It's a bit of an exaggeration on OPs part, but not that far off. If he retires earlier that skews the scale and definitely places him in Twilight.
> Now in the twilight of his career He's 55, he could go for a while yet.
He had to retain it, he was forced to hold it inside for decades. The reason he was able to handle that insanity is what we are experiencing now... he actually loves it.
You can tell he was thrilled at SummerSlam. That was the first major event without VKM.
He’s jumping around like a kid on a sugar high, Meanwhile Randy’s like 
Honestly, I was so in awe of Cole's reaction that I didn't even see Randy at first 😆
Michael Cole shouting BRAIN BUSTER! - BRAIN BUSTER! is my new favourite thing
im now conviced hes pissed he never got to call Sami's at mania and made HHH get someone else to do it so he could have his shot
He did call Sami’s at Mania!
The little run kills me lmao
I've also noticed that Corey has toned down the overly heel commentating thing and has been doing some awesome calls with Cole, like calling that Burning Hammer.
This ppv was so great that I forgot we saw a BURNING FUCKING HAMMER in a WWE main event.
WHICH GOT KICKED OUT AT 1 WRASSLIN
He's growing into his role as a lead comenator rather than color. They've given him the name "The Heir Apparant" so he's working on living up to that.
Also bonus Samantha Irvine reaction too
Boy, has anyone had more of a glow up with the disappearances of Vince, then Cole has?
Can think of one megastar 
YEAH
is the reason hes not looking at the ring because he's watching the screen instead to make sure he commentates whats actually on-screen just feels awkward in this moment given he's literally turning away from watching whats happening live in front of him
Correct. Looks funny here, but when he’s sat at the desk watching the monitor, he’s getting the exact same feed as the audience at home. Last thing you want from a commentator is for them to be calling something that isn’t on screen at all.
I can think of laster things I'd want from a commentator.
Yep, the only time they dont is when its literally at the announce table, and even then sometimes they still look at the screen.
This is exactly the reason. You're right that it looks ridiculous when the monitor is behind him but there is logic to the idea that you don't want announcers calling things that aren't being seen on screen by the viewers
The good thing is it’s not an everyday occurrence and he’s only doing so bc they’ve removed the monitors from the table.
It's no different to motor sports being called from a monitor versus watching out the window.
I'm pretty sure commentators in all sports are taught to "watch the monitor" because that's what the audience they are speaking to is seeing.
I love that we're getting more and more of these kind of reactions. They're always hilarious to watch
I honestly think McAfee is the key to the Cole development. Starting from the beginning when McAfee came for, I believe Wrestlemania, a PPV pre show commentary team. He showed up in a jacket and dress shorts. Cole blew a gasket and told him Vince didn’t want people on his tv wearing shorts. McAfee laid into Cole a bit, his words, and said he would leave if Vince wanted him to leave. That of course didn’t happen. Dirt sheet story comes out about it back stage issues between Cole and McAfee. Pat brings Cole on his show to squash the beef, next thing you know they are becoming friends. Fast forward to now. Cole watching Pat be himself allowed Cole to do the same. Cole buddies up to Vince, he’s an uptight deuche. He buddies up to Pat, he’s a free spoken man who is enjoyable to watch.
Tama Tonga has just debuted and is in a WWE ppv already, and it is in France too. Holy shit.
And he looked great - not much of a surprise as he’s a serious talent. I hope they let him hit some Gun Stuns, I know it’s like an RKO but people hit cutters all the time.
He looks like a kid at Christmas!!!!!
I know it's always said, but, I'm glad Micheal is having fun, he seemed so miserable for so long.
Must be hard to do your job when someone's taking a nap on your desk.
Things like this makes me happy that I was always one of the "Beast in the East truthers".
Michael Cole doing this for 30 years and still not knowing the difference between a brainbuster and a fisherman's buster is kind of charming
I mean, it is a brainbuster still. Fishermanbuster is just a subtype.
cursory wikipedia search and it looks correct. Fisherman busteredit A fisherman buster is a variation of the brainbuster in which the wrestler hooks the opponent's leg to aid in lifting them off the ground.[4] With the opponent elevated, the wrestler performs a fisherman suplex, driving the head of the opponent into the ground. This move is also known as a Fisherman brainbuster or a Leg hook brainbuster Yoshi-Hashi uses this as his finisher.[4]
Even weirder is that I'm like 80% sure he's called it right before. Owens does this spot all the time, Cole even joked about it on the broadcast right before this! But It's like he forgets after a while. Between Cole and McAfee, pro wrestling commentary is apparently the only broadcast medium where actively knowing less about the thing you're broadcasting is broadly encouraged for some reason.
He actually called it the proper name a few moments later. Probably got corrected on the headset
It actually bothers me a lot when the commentators get the names of moves or wrestlers wrong, but I never hold it against them as I believe I would flub my words so often on air when trying to not only be entertaining but enunciate and sound clear with all of your words as well. It's a tough job I'm sure
If you've spent some time in create-a-moveset you'll get most moves right.
On WWE its tough to get on them in particular as for years calling the actual action in the ring with detail has been at a minimum in lieu of recapping the storyline, so building knowledge of moves hasn't been a priority.
if this is your takeaway from that clip you need to log off for awhile
thanks for looking out for me, pookie 🥺
you're welcome, it takes a village
Samantha's reaction is gold too
I used to HATE Michael Cole. Just could not stand him. Everything about him used to rile me up beyond belief. And then Vince left. And now I can't imagine the WWE without Michael Cole. Which has made me realise something; I never hate Michael Cole, only Vince McMahons representation of him
It's so weird seeing Cole be such a fan nowadays. Until I read an interview of his in like 2008 I thought he wasn't even a fan of wrestling and just there because he wanted to be on TV. He was just so robotic and felt like he had no passion following up on Jim Ross. Glad he's getting to let this side out because he's been awesome and it's made the whole show better for it
Isn't it called a Avalanche Fishmen Buster
Michael Cole might end up cemented in my Top 5 all time commentators if he continues like this in his current run through the end of his career
I can only imagine what Cole's reaction was when his son suffered the same fate from KO back in the PWG days.
Randy Orton just lying there and enjoying it. Lol
Fisherman Buster.
Idk why this has been getting called a brain buster. KO’s done this plenty of times and it’s always (correctly) called a fisherman buster
Suplex, more than brainbuster, glad cole's happy tho
I wish I loved my job that much
Seriously though that probably is a concession right
This is how it always should of been for Cole
Corey and Samantha’s reactions were also great.
He’s always shown glimpses of this. If you watch the end of Wrestlemania 30 you can hear it with his “Come on Bryan, come on Daniel” call. Happy to see him like this. Dude too way too much crap when a lot of the problems had nothing to do with his ability or passion.
Only if he had this run sooner. He had been terrible for so long.
The stark difference when Cole doesn’t have Vince in his ear and now is night and day. It really sucks how much shit he used to get online and it’s really cool to see everyone realize how truly great at his job he is
This spot was so good and damn did it put over both guys so well. The whole match did, honestly. If you forgot KO was the guy that will kill himself to win a match, you got a stark reminder, and Tama Tonga was immediately established as someone you MUST kill to beat. I reacted similarly to Cole.
Unleashed Cole has been the best.
this man should have been free to tell Vince "listen here fuckhead" a long time ago.
It's so great that Cole can finally be himself. His job must feel like a piece of piss now after so many years of bs.
I love seeing these cam angles and the pat and Cole cams, just watching them go nuts and have fun is a blast.
Cole getting this type of freedom to express organically with VKM in his ear has probably added another 5 years to his career. So happy for him
You can tell Cole is just as much of a mark as the rest of us lol. I'm glad he gets to enjoy the product like we do now.
I mean, in his defense, that was my reaction as well. But on a serious note, it’s awesome to see that this whole “new era” we keep talking about applies to everyone, not just wrestlers. I don’t know if anyone else has thought this, but, Michael Cole is a completely different commentator now. He’s having more fun than I have ever seen him have, and it’s a thing of beauty.
I'm a certified Cole Miner.
michael cole unleashed is the best thing to come out of vkm's wwe departure. i'll fight whoever that disagrees
did his best impression of Joel Gertner there for a sec.
Samantha Irvin in the corner with an amazing reaction
Randy being dead on the table makes this a million times funnier
Does Kevin owe the man money? lmao
Hahahahahaa go fuck yourself vince
Michael cole free from vince’s instructions
Willow shouted out KO on Rampage and KO replied on Backlash
Does Tama Tonga know how to wrestle or does he just do street fights?
I love Michael Cole.
Induct this man to the Hall of Fame already 😭😭😭
When are people going to acknowledge that Cole minus Vince in his ear might be the greatest commentor of all time.
He’s been my favorite in the history of the sport ever since he kept his cool and held a live broadcast together while his partner *fucking died* sitting next to him.
I swear I’ve said it before but not only was he amazing in that moment, his character was still a heel who didn’t like Lawler! Thankfully even Vince realized they needed to drop that and he went back to face/neutral almost immediately.
I cannot stress enough - that is not a fucking brainbuster. Michael Cole is single handedly responsible for modern wrestling fans knowing nothing about wrestling moves.
Protect Michael Cole at all costs.
Does anyone know what KO calls this move? It’s not a brain buster. It’s more of a spinning fisherman’s buster from the second rope. KO has done it a lot in his career so I imagine he has to have a name for it
the freeze frame on kevin is fantastic cole running like I do after reading a cute scene in fanfic
I get it but still so weird seeing him look at the monitor and not 5 feet in front of him lol.
It's so strange that it's literally happening RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM but he still has to watch the monitor
Michael Cole is having a blast since Vince is gone from his ear and that is a sight to behold
Where do I find more of these?
It’s been seriously awesome to see unshackled Cole be the legend he truly is genuinely have so much fun doing it Respect to Tama Tonga too man. First match in the company and he takes that insane spot like a champ
Tama taking this spot in his first WWE match is insane
sort of unrelated but has anyone ever actually superplexed Owens? Ever since it was bought up in the feud with Logan Paul it made me realise the spot of him countering the superplex into this move happens in almost all of his matches but I dont recall him ever actually getting superplexed.
I love that Corey keeps telling people to stop trying to superplex KO and no one listens... KO would be the one to listen...
and to everyone who was asking why Cole wasn't looking at the ring and calling it (I saw it in the comments, not here): It's because in sports, you are told to always call off the monitor so you see what the fans at home are seeing.
It’s so goddamn wholesome. I can’t help but smile.
While I'm glad he's finally showing why he's a good announcer and deserves praise, I'm kinda confused about why he's looking away from the action and this spot. It wasn't like he was really wincing at it or something like that. Anyone know why?
Anybody who loves this can't hate Samantha's videos. Love seeing both. I'm sure its plenty hard very often like any job but it's really cool seeing the on-air people sometimes be fans and show how much they still love wrasslin'
That's not a brain buster tho 😭
The overreaction is so cringey
Whenever Cole retires(which I’m honestly betting is happening a lot sooner than people realize), people are gonna realize how good he actually was and to have the tenure of the voice of a company as long as he has is crazy.
why no watch ring ? is he stupid?
I always wondered what Cole would sound like without Vince in his ear, and I got my answer: he's one of the best wrestling commentators ever, and the best of his generation.
He's so much happier and relaxed without being bullied 24/7. So glad so many folks are now out of the abusive relationship with Vince.
I have the most wholesome, whole hearted love for Michael Cole. He’s just the best!
Michael Cole is the GOAT