Michael Cole is stepping down his backstage duties in WWE.
First signed to the company in 1997, Michael Cole began his career as a backstage interviewer before making the transition to the commentary desk. Still calling the action in 2024, he is the longest-tenured announcer in the company and one of the longest-serving employees in all of WWE.
PWInsider reports that Cole is stepping back his duties backstage in order to focus on his on-screen presence as a broadcaster. According to the report, Cole has long been in charge of managing announcers behind the scenes, but he is pulling back from those responsibilities.
The report notes that this decision was made by Cole himself and that there are no issues between him and WWE as a result. Booker T indicated last year that while he never expected the veteran to retire, he did want to “wind down” in some ways.
According to PWInsider, longtime WWE employee Sue Cundaro has stepped into the role of managing announcers to fill the backstage void left by Cole.
Vic Joseph Called Michael Cole The Greatest Of All Time
During an April interview with TV Insider, WWE NXT commentator Vic Joseph was full of praise for Cole, calling him the greatest WWE announcer of all time.
“Michael Cole is the greatest of all time. I’ll say it again. He is the greatest of all time. I’ve learned so much from him. Here’s the thing about Michael Cole. He doesn’t want me to be Michael Cole. He doesn’t want Corey Graves to be Michael Cole. We all have our own distinct voices. It’s how you as a listener hear it.
When I went to NXT, I didn’t want to be Mauro [Ranallo]. I don’t want to be Michael Cole. I want to be myself. But if you’re the greatest of all time why would you not want to pick a few things from them? There is no quarterback in the world that’s not looking at Tom Brady’s mechanics or Patrick Mahomes’ footwork. If you don’t study people who are the greatest, I think it’s foolish if you don’t. I will take as much as I can from Michael Cole and Corey Graves, for that matter, and mold it into my own. Then hopefully get to their level.”