When it comes to pro wrestling, few announcing duos currently have better chemistry than WWE Raw‘s Michael Cole and Pat McAfee.
But when it comes to the industry’s best broadcasting bromance, it wasn’t always all love.
Appearing on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast this week, Cole revealed that he was once involved in a dispute with McAfee that nearly resulted in the former All-Pro punter walking out of the company’s biggest show of the year. The incident in question occurred ahead of WrestleMania 35 in 2019, in which McAfee was set to guest host the event’s pre-show.
“Me and him got really, really close. And then our relationship imploded for a night,” Cole said of McAfee. “I used to not only be an announcer, but I was in charge of all the announcers. So I was a VP in the company doing all that. And so we brought Pat in to do the WrestleMania kickoff show. And, you know, everybody at WrestleMania is in tuxes and ties and the whole nine yards. And Pat shows up in shorts — now they were tuxedo shorts — but he shows up in shorts.”
Upon spotting McAfee and his bare shins just ahead of going live, the longtime WWE announcer admonished the West Virginia product in front of the rest of the company’s crew.
“I’m like — in front of everybody, which was my bad — ‘what the f**k are you doing? Dude, you’re in f**king shorts. It’s WrestleMania,'” Cole recalled. “Stephanie McMahon’s there. Vince [McMahon]’s there. All these people are there and I’m dressing down Pat.”
“You little bro’d him,” Paul said.
“I did,” Cole admitted.
Suffice it to say, Cole’s response did over well with McAfee, who contemplated walking out on the show.
“He stormed off and I’m like, ‘Where the f**k are you going? I’m not doing the show,'” Cole continued. “He goes back, he’s packing his bag in the locker room to leave. He goes, ‘You just embarrassed me in front of everybody in this company.’ And I never thought about it that way. But he was right… we ended up working it out.”
Michael Cole on Pat McAfee almost walking out after he yelled at him in front of everyone
“Wtf are you doing? Dude you’re in f****** shorts it’s WrestleMania.”
(Impaulsive) pic.twitter.com/q6tybmrud2
— Vick (@Vick_8122) February 18, 2025
In the end, McAfee’s pre-show shorts proved to be one of the more memorable images from what was otherwise a largely forgettable WrestleMania. And although McAfee was only appearing on select WWE shows at the time, he went on to eventually become a full-time announcer and part-time wrestler for the company, even participating in his own WrestleMania match just three years later.
While he may remain a lightning rod in sports media, McAfee has always seemed right at home in pro wrestling, with a fanbase that embraces his unique personality. When it comes to WWE, however, that clearly wasn’t always the case during what was both a different time for Cole professionally and the company at large.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.