WWE Hall of Famer JBL recalled Vince McMahon threatening to fire Michael Cole for saying something on TV that he was instructed not to say.
Cole has been working for WWE as an on-air personality for over two decades. He has served as a play-by-play commentator for RAW, SmackDown and pay-per-views.
During a recent Q&A session at Steel City Con, JBL recounted the night that Michael Cole almost lost his job. According to the former, Vince McMahon informed the commentators not to acknowledge Deuce (James Snuka Jr.) as Jimmy Snukaās son. Cole, however, unintentionally went against the chairman's words, and McMahon was not happy at all.
"I donāt even notice it. Soon as [Deuce] tags in, Michael Cole says, āIn comes Jimmy Snukaās son.ā Vince had just told him donāt say āJimmy Snukaās son.ā Well when he says that, theyāve got the little God camera that can look at us. I start laughing because I realize Cole doesnāt know not to say that. Vince sees me laughing and thinks Cole is making fun of him in front of the whole entire company. Vinceās response was, āMichael, Iām gonna come down there and Iām gonna fire you. No, Iām gonna come down there and Iām gonna kick your a**. Not Iām not, no Iām notā and heās debating with himself at this point."
"This is during a live show and he goes, āNo, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Iām gonna kick your a** then Iām gonna fire you! Thatās what Iām gonna do! Iām coming down right nowā and Michaelās just looking at the camera like ā and Iām dying laughing and thereās no commentary and then by the time the commercial comes around, there was no commentary in the match. Vince realizes what happened, that Michael did it by mistake. He goes, āHaha, I lost it a little bit there didnāt I? Ha, yeah,ā" said JBL. (H/T POST Wrestling)
JBL says Michael Cole was pranked a lot in WWE
It's no secret that superstars love playing pranks on their co-workers and other WWE personnel. Apparently, Michael Cole fell victim to a lot of pranks during his time in the company.
JBL recounted former US Champion Finlay hitting Cole with his signature weapon, the shillelagh and Titus OāNeil throwing up on him.
"We had so many different times on commentary where they would do stuff to Michael Cole but they wouldnāt do it to me and Iād be in on it; when [Fit] Finlay hit him with [the] shillelagh, I mean they abused Michael Cole for years and thank God I just got part of it. They had Titus OāNeil throw up on him one time," said JBL.
Michael Cole and Pat McAfee are the voices of SmackDown, and their pairing in the commentary booth has been great.
Big name returning at Evolution? More details HERE