Michael Cole Says It Took A Decade For Him To Settle Into WWE Role

Michael Cole joined WWE in the 1990s, first conducting interviews before becoming a fixture on commentary, with his importance growing over the years. Sitting down with Stephanie McMahon on "What's Your Story?," Cole revealed that it took him longer than one might expect to settle into his position.

"When I started in the business, Kevin Dunn told me, 'It's going to take you 10 years to get comfortable in this role," Cole said, adding that he was initially doubtful of this. "It took 10 years, folks, and I'm still learning today."

In the early days, Cole had to familiarize himself with two important aspects of professional wrestling that go hand-in-hand: psychology and emotion. He explained that one of the most useful experiences when it came to learning about the wrestling business was traveling with the performers. He recounted a lesson handed down by WWE Hall of Famer JBL, who told Cole that he requested the company not sell his merch while he was the top villain, as he didn't think fans should be supporting him.

"The light bulb sort of went on with me at that point. ... You've got to buy into this," Cole continued. "You have to live it and you have to breathe it in order for this business to be believable, in order for the audience to buy into what we're doing. And I think the people that are successful here are the people that are able to do that. Those who don't make it aren't able to buy into their character 100%."

It was with emotion that Cole found himself struggling during his initial years at the commentary table, as he believes it's something that must be learned through experience and cannot be taught. He recalled taking criticism from figures such as Jim Ross, Vince McMahon, Triple H, and even Stephanie McMahon over a lack of emotion in his calls.

"I'd come to the back and I'd feel like I [had] a good show and they're like, 'Dammit, Michael!" Cole said.

He credited spending time traveling with the wrestlers for being the key to figuring out the emotional side of the business. In addition to JBL, he developed friendships with wrestlers including John Cena and Triple H, and Cole believes building a personal connection to so many people in the company has added a more genuine flair to his commentary.

"I spent years with John Cena, riding his bus each and every week," Cole continued. "Got to become great friends with John. To be able to go out there and call [a Cena] match, I wanted John to win. He was my friend. ... And that's where the emotion of this process comes out, where you can really feel it come through your television screens, because I'm legitimately happy that John won a championship, or I'm legitimately upset that Brock Lesnar just beat the s**t out of him."