Michael Cole has been an essential part of WWE’s broadcast team for nearly 30 years, and recently, he has enjoyed working closely with Pat McAfee. According to Cole, this collaboration has brought a renewed sense of enjoyment to his role.
Except during the football season, when McAfee’s other commitments take him away, he has been Cole’s primary broadcast partner in recent years. Their partnership was reignited on the first Monday Night Raw of 2025, which also marked the show’s debut on Netflix. In an interview with Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, Cole discussed his relationship with McAfee.
“As a WWE fan, it feels to me like in some ways Pat McAfee has revitalized your career,” Glasspiegel said. “Do you think it’s fair to say that working with him has increased your enthusiasm and longevity in this role?” Cole affirmed this, stating, “I think 100%.”
Reflecting on his 28 years with WWE, Cole emphasized how McAfee has influenced his perspective: “With the emergence of Pat McAfee, Pat’s allowed me to understand that this business is supposed to be fun. It’s not serious, right? This is supposed to be a fun place to work. Sitting back and watching Pat, the one thing I’ve learned is we’re all fans. Pat has allowed me to really open up. He’s taught me how to entertain.
“It’s sort of like two guys just sitting back on a Monday night drinking a beer and talking about wrestling as opposed to two guys that are trying to act as wrestling commentators. We’re trying to understand and decipher it just as you guys do at home.”
While individual preferences vary, Cole’s commentary has generally received a more positive response since teaming up with McAfee. Although there were instances where his commentary felt forced and unnatural, this has shifted in recent years due to the influences he mentioned. Notably, Cole’s partnership with McAfee has coincided with Vince McMahon’s departure and Paul Levesque (Triple H) taking over creative control in WWE, leading to a more critically acclaimed product, including the commentary.
Nevertheless, McAfee’s unique style in wrestling makes it challenging to envision anyone collaborating with him without being influenced by his approach, even if WWE’s power structure hadn’t undergone such significant changes.
