Michael Cole Names WWE Stars He Thinks Could Succeed On Commentary

Michael Cole has been a consistent voice for WWE for nearly 30 years. As with life, though, he knows that will eventually come to an end.

During a recent interview "OutKick," Cole pointed to three current names that might be poised to fill a major seat behind the WWE commentary table in the future. Two are still active wrestlers.

"When we talk about people who we think may be great analysts going forward, obviously, we've got Wade Barrett, who's been doing this for a number of years, who's going to be a massive star in this business from a commentary standpoint," Cole said, referencing color commentator Wade Barrett, who rejoined WWE in 2020. Barrett and Cole have worked together on several occasions, calling the action for "WWE Raw" and "WWE SmackDown."

"The Miz is one of those guys who loves to talk," Cole continued, praising the two-time Grand Slam Champion next. "He will really fall into an analyst role when he decides he wants to retire and hang up the boots. Seth Rollins is another one, if Seth Rollins ever decides to go down the route of commentary. Seth has proven on many different platforms that he can do this type of job. I think The Miz and Seth Rollins are a couple of the guys that we should look toward in the future."

Both The Miz and Seth Rollins have previous hosting experience. Under the WWE banner, "The A-Lister" has hosted WrestleMania and the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, the latter of which he did alongside Cole earlier in 2026. Outside of WWE, The Miz hosts "American Gladiators" on Prime Video. Rollins continues to serve as a guest host for "The Rich Eisen Show" and the NFL Network's "Good Morning Football."

Of his past broadcast partners, Cole believes three of them stand above the rest.

"I've worked with some unbelievable people over the years, dozens and dozens, many Hall of Famers, many that I've learned so much from to get to where I am today," he said. "I think three people stand out as top commentators that I've worked with over the years. Obviously, Tazz, who I really started my career with on SmackDown. There was Corey Graves, of course, my current partner, who's probably the best guy I've ever worked with in the booth. Our chemistry is impeccable. Then Pat McAfee. Pat and I had an unbelievable run. We had so much fun together. and he was just such a different analyst. So across the board, those three guys are probably my favorites."

Cole and Tazz spent a number of years calling the action for "SmackDown" until the latter shifted to the "WWE ECW" brand in 2006. In the present day, Tazz now serves as a commentator for All Elite Wrestling.

Cole and McAfee shared a commentary desk on both "Raw" and "SmackDown," with the former previously citing the ex-NFL punter as the most energetic and enthusiastic person he'd ever been around. Cole has raved about his chemistry with McAfee on multiple occasions. Following Randy Orton's loss at WrestleMania 42, however, McAfee has vowed to never return to the professional wrestling space, including WWE. 

WWE's veteran broadcaster currently works alongside Corey Graves for the "SmackDown" brand.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "OutKick" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.