Michael Cole explains struggle of following Jim Ross’ commentary style in WWE
Michael Cole opened up about the burden of living up to the expectation that he was Jim Ross’s replacement in WWE. He detailed the long journey of finding his own voice while following one of wrestling’s most iconic commentators.
Cole talked about the pressure of his early years in WWE, told multiple times that he was Jim Ross’s replacement. On What’s Your Story? With Stephanie McMahon, Cole expressed the struggle he underwent for nearly a decade to find his own voice and distinguish himself from Ross’s legacy.
“When I started here, for many years it was always, you’re Jim Ross’s replacement. Jim Ross’s replacement. I heard it ad nauseam, and those are massive, massive shoes to fill. And by the way shout out to JR, because I know he’s going through some health issues. I wish JR the best in his surgery and everything else.”
“They were tough shoes to fill because JR was a lifer in this business. He started out as a teenager. I came into this at 30 years old, didn’t know what I was getting into, and they were pretty mighty shoes to fill. And for many years, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to do that. Vince believed in me. Kevin Dunn believed in me. I’m not sure I believed in myself until one day the light bulb went on and I said, I think I may belong here.”
“It was a struggle for a decade, Steph, of trying to figure out what my voice was and how that voice was different from Jim Ross’s. Early on in my career, you go back and hear some stuff, it’s all over YouTube, it’s embarrassing. But you’ll hear me screaming, stomping a mud hole in him the size of Texas, doing the stuff that Jimmy was doing, and I’m saying to myself, God, this is embarrassing. What can I do to differentiate?”
He reiterated the initial struggle to figure out the key difference that made Ross stand out as one of the greatest voices in wrestling history. He explained that while both he and Ross focused on telling stories and introducing fans to characters, it was Ross’ ability to bring genuine emotion to even the simplest moments that made his commentary unforgettable.
“I could never understand early on what the difference between me and Jim Ross was, because I would sit back and listen to tapes and go, I’m telling a story, Jim’s telling a story. I’m explaining to you who these characters are. Jim’s doing the same thing. Why is Jim the greatest of all time? Because Jim had emotion, and you could feel even the simplest of calls out of Jim Ross. That’s why people believed in him. And I hope, over the number of years I’ve been here, that at least I’ve been able to emulate that just a little bit.”
Cole has now been with WWE for over 29 years, served as an interviewer, reporter and is currently positioned as play-by-play commentator. r. After years of trying to step out of Jim Ross’ shadow, Cole has established himself as one of the most recognizable voices in WWE history.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.