WWE: Michael Cole on Being Unsure How Much Longer He Wanted to do Commentary Until Pat McAfee Arrived, Update on Why Ricky Starks Name Not Used for NXT Debut, Joe Tessitore to Miss 2/14 SmackDown Show

Feb 13, 2025

Michael Cole Comments on Being Unsure How Much Longer He Wanted to do Commentary Before Pat McAfee Arrived

Front Office Sports held a recent interview with WWE commentator Michael Cole. One of the topics discussed included Cole’s thoughts about how he had been unsure how much longer he wanted to continue his commentary career until Pat McAfee arrived in WWE.

“I wasn’t quite sure (how much longer I wanted to commentate) until Pat McAfee came along. Pat really opened my eyes to a lot of different things. He made this fun, and we’ve also become really good friends and I think that’s helped our chemistry on the air. I’m having more of a blast now than I’ve ever had in 28 years here in WWE. I’ve held just about every role. I was a manager, I ran the web site, I did all kinds of different things alongside being a talent. But I’ve never had this much fun in my career. When’s the last time you saw Michael Cole yeet’ing with Jey Uso? Or doing goofy stuff like that? It’s never happened, so it’s that evolution process I talked about earlier – being able to evolve in my career. I’ve made myself different than I was a couple of years ago. With that said, I’ve just signed a new contract with the company. It’s a multi-year deal so I’m going to be here a bit longer, and I’m really looking forward to it because I really want to be a part of this whole Netflix launch as we roll through the next few years and bring this company to the next level – and even higher heights than it is right now.”

Cole also gave his thoughts about how working with McAfee helped revitalize his wrestling commentary career.

“I think 100 percent (working with Pat McAfee has increased my longevity in this role & enthusiasm for it). To back up a second, I’ve been here for 28 years, started as an interviewer and moved into the play-by-play role. Really grew in the business, learned from some of the greats, including Paul Heyman and Jim Ross, how to do what I was doing. I think one of the reasons that I’ve been here so long is the ability to… evolve. Over the years, I’ve gone from a straight play-by-play man to a heel. I’ve had matches. I’ve been beaten up. I went back to being a straightforward play-by-play man again. 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.”

Backstage Update on Why Ricky Starks Name was Not Used for His WWE NXT Debut

As noted before, former AEW talent Ricky Starks made his official WWE debut at this past Tuesday’s WWE NXT show at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Starks’ debut was notable for WWE not referencing him by name during the broadcast nor on social media for his debut appearance.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that Starks’ deal with WWE came together quickly but has been finalized and he is an official member of WWE’s roster.

Johnson reported that WWE is currently listing and referring to him as “Ricky Starks” on their internal roster lists.

In regards to the decision to not use him name on-screen during his debut appearance, one source spoken to reportedly stated that WWE often negotiates sync agreements allowing them to use a performer’s name and trademarks while they are under contract. Johnson reported that due to how fast Starks’ deal was finalized, the current belief is that WWE simply was just exercising caution as the details of that agreement are being ironed out.

Joe Tessitore Set to Miss This Friday’s WWE SmackDown Show

WWE SmackDown lead commentator Joe Tessitore is currently scheduled to be absent from the commentary booth for this Friday’s WWE SmackDown show in Washington, D.C. due to his commitments with ESPN.

ESPNPressroom.com recently released a press release announcing that Tessitore will be on commentary for this Friday’s Top Rank boxing event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.

This upcoming starts at 5PM EST for the undercard bouts and Tessitore will be joining Timothy Bradley, Jr., Mark Kriegel, and Bernardo Osuna in the commentary booth.