History Wrestling / MichaelCole

* ArchEnemy: Daniel Bryan, and The IWC[[note]]or at minimum, most of the {{smark}}s in it[[/note]].
** Zeb Colter, the manager JackSwagger. Cole is very vocal about how much [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Colter's political views]] don't sit well with him and he had a lengthy political debate with the man on twitter.

-->'''Michael Cole''': For all you internet geeks who voted for Kaval in NXT season 2, how did that work out for y'all?[[note]]Kaval's release from the Wrestling/{{WWE}} came when Kaval asked for a release from his contract.[[/note]] And it was not just the IWC he trolled, on the finale of NXT Season 3 after they called the soon-to-be-debuting Season 4 Rookie Brodus Clay a "Human Suplex Machine," stating in a [[TakeThat tauntingly]] [[SmugSnake smug]] voice "I know someone who's not gonna like that!" (Hint: It's Taz)

** According to Cole in a SiriusXM interview, he was ready to turn face again anyway due to him thinking that the heel Cole had run its course. The incident only made it official.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot After a Jerry Lawler-CM Punk Cage Match on Raw in 2012, Lawler would return to the broadcast table later in the evening. He would have a heart attack at the table, and all commentary was cut. It was largely believed that, had Lawler not been at ringside at RAW at that moment, he would've died. Cole, probably reverting to his journalistic background, spent the remainder of the evening updating the audience on Lawler's condition, even though the two had a feud for months! His professionalism in the adversity ended the feud and resulted in a face turn.

* ResetButton: After Jerry Lawler's heart attack, all traces of Cole's heel character disappeared, and with it all of his antic from the previous 2 years were completely forgotten.

** Zeb Colter. Cole is very vocal about how much Colter's political views doesn't sit well with him and he had a lengthy political debate with the man on twitter.

** Zeb Colter. Cole is very vocal about how much Colter's political doesn't sit well with him and he had a lengthy political debate with the man on twitter.

* ArchNemesis: Daniel Bryan, and The IWC[[note]]or at minimum, most of the {{smark}}s in it[[/note]].

** You are watching [[WWERaw the longest-running weekly episodic program in television history]]!

** The best pure striker in Wrestling/{{WWE}}, TheUndertaker! His entrance is absolutely ''bone-chilling''!
** Whenever DanielBryan shows up, expect Cole to say "He's a vegan!" and "...the minor leagues!" Every. Single. Time.
*** After the heart attack (see below), Cole's most venomous insults are directed at a target whose on-screen character is more deserving of it: PaulHeyman.

* Self-Deprecation: Once going face, he seems to be willing to play upon his faults and not take himself so seriously.

*** After the heart attack (see below), Cole's most venomous insults are directed at a target whose on-screen character is more deserving of it: Paul Heyman.

** Cole would make reference to this, from time to time, during his distaste for the NXT of the time period.

* RedemptionDemotion: Once he turned face in 2012, he stopped commentating on Smackdown, the position was taken over by [[JohnBradshawLayfield JBL]], and now only commentates on Raw and Main Event.

* SitcomArchnemesis: With '''TheMiz''' on WWE main event.

** Subverted after [[RealLifeWritesThePlot Jerry Lawler's heart attack].

** Subverted after [RealLifeWritesThePlot Jerry Lawler's heart attack].

* {{Flanderization}}: He actually used to be quite good during his early run with Tazz on Smackdown (Wrestling/{{WWE}} follows a pattern of having one technical commentator and one color commentator. Cole was the technical, Tazz was color commentary.) He had a lot of energy and passion, and if you watch him in a match from 2003 or 2004, the difference is staggering. However, with time, he has fallen backward and began endlessly repeating catchphrases, like the "Vintage!" mentioned above. Part of it isn't his fault (likely corporate is forcing him to endlessly shill the "longest running episodic" thing as a form of boasting,) but it doesn't make listening to him call a match any less frustrating. The thing is, he started the "vintage" line when referring to the Undertaker's leg drop on the apron (and it made sense back then because Undertaker had just brought back his Deadman gimmick and thus was using moves he hadn't used in a long time), and it slowly spread from there.

* KarmaHoudini: The stuff he could get away with during his feud with Lawler. [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Fortunately he got what was coming to him at ''Over The Limit 11''

* MoodWhiplash: Cole will sometimes momentarily break character while calling Daniel Bryan's matches, actually sounding impressed or excited when Bryan does something of note.

* PetTheDog: Has become less occurring as of late, but he still is a fan of JohnMorrison despite being a heel. He's also one for Santino and Kozlov. Note how excited he gets when Santino hits [[FinishingMove The Cobra]].

* TookALevelInJerkass: During his stint as Commentator on NXT.

** Of TheMiz, Alex Riley, and pretty much anyone who ''isn't'' DanielBryan. This hit a crescendo on 11/29/10 when Cole interfered on Miz's behalf in the latter's TLC match with Jerry Lawler, Cole's own broadcast partner. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even CM Punk was disgusted.]]
** Of [=LayCool=], Vickie Guerrero, and basically everybody that the Smarks are supposed to hate.

* ArchNemesis: BryanDanielson, and The IWC[[note]]or at minimum, most of the {{smark}}s in it[[/note]].

* [[spoiler:TheBadGuyWins]]: [[spoiler:Was awarded the win at Wrestlemania, but only by DQ and was still put in an ankle lock and tapped out.]]

** Cole has also verbally assaulted nine time World Champion [[DwayneJohnson The Rock]] to his face on two seperate occasions, both times resulting the Rock delivering the [[FinishingMove Rock Bottom]] and People's Elbow to Cole.

** Whenever BryanDanielson shows up, expect Cole to say "He's a vegan!" and "...the minor leagues!" Every. Single. Time.

* CompanionCube: The "GM Laptop." It's even getting its own ''heel heat''. On the Raw before the 2011 RoyalRumble, Cole willingly put himself in harm's way by standing between the laptop & {{Edge}}, after Edge decided he was going to destroy the GM Laptop "for old time's sake". [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Jerry Lawler, who pointed out ''it was just a computer''.

* DeadpanSnarker: Cole's been rather snippy with his broadcast partners of late, especially on ''Smackdown!'' with passive-aggressive sarcasm being favored.

** Has been milking this trope for all its worth in his feud with Lawler, to the point of commentating inside a plexiglas box so JerryLawler can't touch him. He even does this on Smackdown, where no one is there to threaten him.

* TheDogBitesBack: In {{Kayfabe}}. Think about it: Cole put up with JBL constantly calling him a sissy for nearly a year and a half. It's remarkable he didn't snap long before now.

** Of TheMiz, Alex Riley, and pretty much anyone who ''isn't'' BryanDanielson.

** This hit a crescendo on 11/29/10 when Cole interfered on Miz's behalf in the latter's TLC match with Jerry Lawler, Cole's own broadcast partner. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even CM Punk was disgusted.]]
* {{Flanderization}}: He actually used to be quite good during his early run with Tazz on Smackdown (Wrestling/{{WWE}} follows a pattern of having one technical commentator and one color commentator. Cole was the technical, Tazz was color commentary.) He had a lot of energy and passion, and if you watch him in a match from 2003 or 2004, the difference is staggering. However, with time, he has fallen backward and began endlessly repeating catchphrases, like the "Vintage!" mentioned above. Part of it isn't his fault (likely corporate is forcing him to endlessly shill the "longest running episodic" thing as a form of boasting,) but it doesn't make listening to him call a match any less frustrating.
** He started the "vintage" line when referring to the Undertaker's leg drop on the apron (and it made sense back then because Undertaker had just brought back his Deadman gimmick and thus was using moves he hadn't used in a long time), and it slowly spread from there.
** His {{Troll}} persona has gotten more and more exaggerated as the months go on. He's gone from just having a problem with Bryan Danielson not respecting TheMiz to screaming at his long-time broadcast partner Jerry "the King" Lawler that he's a loser who will fail when Lawler was tapped to be in the Raw Rumble and then won. Cole has also gone from being at least somewhat intelligent in his snark to resorting to "What you said was stupid!" as a retort.

* JawDrop: The first time BryanDanielson beat The Miz, not only did Cole become speechless during the count, but the second the match was over, the camera cut back to a close-up of Cole's face, his mouth hanging open like a dope. If he wasn't a FountainOfMemes at that point, the relentless photoshopping of that image (as well as the one at the top of this page) made him into one.
* JerkAss: He's made a highly successful career from the role.

* MoodWhiplash: Cole will sometimes momentarily break character while calling Bryan Danielson's matches, actually sounding impressed or excited when Bryan does something of note.

* PetTheDog: Has become less occurring as of late, but he still is a fan of JohnMorrison despite being a heel.
** He's also one for Santino and Kozlov. Note how excited he gets when Santino hits [[FinishingMove The Cobra]].
** FavouritismFlipFlop: Cole's former favoritism towards Cena has made him turn on superstars he's shown favor for in the past. Cole took amusement in Cena's verbal abuse of Vickie Guerrero a heel who Cole admires and has an attraction to. Cole went on to belittle Vickie when she slap Cena when she had enough of his verbal onslaught.
*** He'll often do this depending on whether the person in question is feuding with TheMiz.

** Since TheMiz became champion, Cole has pushed this trope UpToEleven. When the GM tried to interrupt [[DwayneJohnson The Rock's]] promo, Cole was practically reveling in how much the audience was pissed off.
** He now likes to go on about his "undefeated streak", consisting at the moment of two very narrow and unfair victories.
* TakeThatAudience: His FaceHeelTurn character, read the troll entry below.

* {{Troll}}: His current FaceHeelTurn Character is essentially being a troll to both BryanDanielson and the IWC as a whole.
** In the BryanDanielson[=/=]Sheamus match for a spot on "Team Raw" at the 2010 ''Bragging Rights'' pay per view, Cole said no-one should want Bryan on the team because he was on "Team WWE" at Summerslam against TheNexus, and Team WWE lost that match. ''Except that didn't happen'', Team WWE won, with Bryan getting two eliminations & actually being the longest lasting member of his team, second only to ''JohnCena''.
** On the 11/15 three-hour "Old School" Raw, JimRoss came out to call the Bryan Danielson/Jack Swagger match. Cole ''attempted'' to troll JR (and the match itself, pretending to fall asleep during it) the entire match; Ross [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome finally had enough]] and slapped Cole with his cowboy hat.

-->'''Michael Cole''': For all you internet geeks who voted for Kaval in NXT season 2, how did that work out for y'all[[note]]Kaval's release from the Wrestling/{{WWE}} came when Kaval asked for a release from his contract.[[/note]]?
** It's not just the IWC he trolls, as on the finale of NXT Season 3 after they called the soon-to-be-debuting Season 4 Rookie Brodus Clay a "Human Suplex Machine," stating in a [[TakeThat tauntingly]] [[SmugSnake smug]] voice "I know someone who's not gonna like that!" (Hint: It's Taz)
* VitriolicBestBuds: With several of his commentating partners; Taz, Josh Matthews, and CMPunk.

* TheDogBitesBack: Jack Swagger finally decided to let JerryLawler [[DoWithHimAsYouWill have his way with Cole]] after Jerry [[BatmanGambit used Cole's own ego to trick him]] into insulting Swagger's title run and status as a wrestler...[[ImStandingRightHere while Swagger was in the ring with them]].

* TheDogBitesBack: In {{Kayfabe}}. Think about it: Cole put up with JBL constantly calling him a sissy for nearly a year and a half. It's remarkable he didn't snap long before now.

** On the 11/18/11 episode of Smackdown, he claimed that even though Zack Ryder has pinned United States Champion Dolph Ziggler multiple times in recent weeks, he couldn't earn a U.S. title shot because, in his words, "None of those matches were for the title, so it doesn't matter." [[WhatAnIdiot Um]], [[FlatWhat what?]]

Michael Sean Coulthard (born December 8, 1968), better known by his stage name Michael Cole, is a play-by-play announcer for {{WWE}}. He is best known for announcing ''{{WWE SmackDown}}'' for nine years, from its launch in 1999 until 2008; in 2008, he was switched over to ''{{WWE Raw}}'', where he has been ever since.
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!!! Lookitlookitlookit! VINTAGE Michael Cole Tropes! And I quote "...
* ArchNemesis: BryanDanielson, and The IWC[[hottip:*:or at minimum, most of the {{smark}}s in it]].

** The best pure striker in WWE, TheUndertaker! His entrance is absolutely ''bone-chilling''!

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Sure, it's easy for the IWC to pick on Cole, but the man in his pre-WWE days spent nine months in the field as a journalist covering the Yugoslavian civil war in 1994, as well as covering the 1993 Waco Siege for 51 days and the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. A far cry from what his WWE persona is perceived as.

* {{Flanderization}}: He actually used to be quite good during his early run with Tazz on Smackdown (WWE follows a pattern of having one technical commentator and one color commentator. Cole was the technical, Tazz was color commentary.) He had a lot of energy and passion, and if you watch him in a match from 2003 or 2004, the difference is staggering. However, with time, he has fallen backward and began endlessly repeating catchphrases, like the "Vintage!" mentioned above. Part of it isn't his fault (likely corporate is forcing him to endlessly shill the "longest running episodic" thing as a form of boasting,) but it doesn't make listening to him call a match any less frustrating.

-->'''Michael Cole''': For all you internet geeks who voted for Kaval in NXT season 2, how did that work out for y'all[[hottip:*:Kaval's release from the WWE came when Kaval asked for a release from his contract.]]?

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: After over a decade in wrestling, Michael Cole ''still'' switches the names of a powerslam and a scoop slam. At this point, WWE has apparently decided to make Cole's mistake the standard for their commentary teams instead of making him learn the difference.