During an in-ring interview with Seth Rollins earlier this month, WWE play-by-play announcer Michael Cole revealed that he has only missed two shows in his 26-year career with the company.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1709025460770775142
Now that number stands at three.
WWE Monday Night Raw held its season premiere on Monday and the show took place without its most familiar voice in the commentary booth. According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, the 56-year-old Cole “had requested time off for a previous obligation a while back.” Kevin Patrick joined Wade Barrett in the Raw commentary booth in his absence.
The last time Cole missed a show came on the October 2, 2017 episode of Raw, which he reportedly missed to attend his son’s wedding.
It’s an especially remarkable run for the Syracuse native when considering his workload with the company. This past August, it was announced that Cole would be returning to the Raw broadcast booth, in addition to keeping his previous responsibilities as the lead voice on WWE Friday Night SmackDown. That means that on weeks where WWE hosts a monthly Premium Live Event — which Cole also calls — he is responsible for calling three shows in a four-night span. He has also served as WWE’s Vice President of Announcing since 2020 and helps work with the announcers in the company’s developmental brand, NXT.
As for when his illustrious broadcasting career might come to an end, Cole told The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch earlier this year that he was hoping to be in the booth for at least four more years.
“People ask me all the time, ‘How long are you gonna do this for?’ I’ll tell you one thing, you know, 30 years would be a really cool goal,” Cole said. “That’s four years from now. But I can promise you this, I will get out before I slip.”
Cole has been a polarizing figure among wrestling fans — especially during his run as a heel (bad guy) announcer from 2010-2012. In recent years, however, fans have come to appreciate his professionalism, consistency and chemistry, especially with Pat McAfee, who called Smackdown alongside Cole from 2021-2022 and still makes occasional cameos with the company.
