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According to former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz, Michael Cole’s tendency to repeatedly say the same word led to him receiving fines from Vince McMahon.
Cole joined WWE in 1997 as an interviewer and soon became one of the company’s lead play-by-play commentators. The 53-year-old is now WWE’s Vice President of Announcing. He also commentates on SmackDown and premium live events.
Gewirtz wrote about Cole in his book, “There's Just One Problem...: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE.” He recalled how McMahon picked up on the commentator’s habit of saying the word “now” during matches:
“We all have our personal verbal tics,” Gewirtz wrote. “Announcer Michael Cole used to say ‘now’ at the end of every sentence. ‘Jeff Hardy, into the ropes now...’ Vince took it upon himself to fine Cole every time he ended a sentence with the word ‘now,’ and sure enough Cole stopped doing it.”
Cole’s formal style of commentary has divided opinion among WWE fans for many years. Over the last 17 months, he has mostly received positive reactions thanks to his entertaining partnership with former NFL star Pat McAfee on SmackDown.
Brian Gewirtz explains why Michael Cole turned heel
The majority of play-by-play announcers favor babyfaces or call the in-ring action from an impartial perspective. In 2010, however, WWE’s higher-ups boldly decided to turn Cole into a villain.
Brian Gewirtz recalled how that decision was made after Cole became the voice of the Anonymous RAW General Manager:
“This mysterious being would send in key decisions via email, which announcer Michael Cole would then read live on the air. The email sound effect would reverberate throughout the arena and always get a reaction. Michael Cole simply walking to the computer (which had its own setup at ringside) and reading the GM’s emails eventually forced our hand to turn Cole heel.”
In the video above, Gewirtz gave his thoughts on how The Rock’s daughter Simone Johnson could fare as a WWE Superstar.
Do you like Cole’s announcing? Let us know in the comments section.
Brian Gewirtz’s book, “There's Just One Problem...: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE,” is available to buy on Amazon.
