Todd Pettengill Talks Getting Michael Cole Hired By WWE
Former WWE backstage interviewer Todd Pettengill recently sat down with Metro.co.uk to promote In NXT TakeOver: Your House, where he will be making his return to the company.
During the interview Pettengill revealed he had suggested Michael Cole, who recently received a promotion, for a job with the WWE back in 1995. Pettengill opened up about why he suggested Cole for the role.
"Well number one, he was a friend," shared Pettengill. "We go way back! He was my news guy at my radio station in Albany, New York back in the '80s. I went on to New York City at PLJ and he was at CBS Radio and clearly we stayed in touch.
"He was a massive wrestling fan! So, when it came time for me to step aside, he was the first choice. I knew he knew the product, he sort of looked like me, which I thought – 'this is kinda funny, too!' I respected the heck out of him and still do. I just knew that he was gonna be the right guy."
Pettengill was asked about Cole's passion for the industry and when he became a fan of the product. Pettengill says it was hard to get him to stop talking about wrestling.
"For as long as I knew him!" revealed Pettengill. "He always talked about it! I was like, 'Dude, enough! We gotta talk about other things here!'
"He was always a gigantic fan, and that gave him a great, great lane to come in and say, 'Hey, I'm familiar, I know it, you don't have to start all over with me.'"
While on the topic of Michael Cole, Pettengill was also asked about Cole's performance and how he thinks Cole will be remembered. Pettengill had plenty of praise for his former colleague.
"I think it's terrific," said Pettengill. "I think when the time comes for him to spend aside – and I hope that's not for many years – he'll be very proud of what he's accomplished.
"Listen, if everybody loves you, you're probably not doing it right. I just think you have to, at some point, be you and that means you have opinions.
"Everybody's not gonna like that, but it shows that you're certainly a multi-dimensional person when you allow people to see different sides of yourself. I think his legacy is certainly cemented and he's done himself and the company very proud."