Michael Cole Apologized To WWE Stars After Botching Ending Of Huge Match

Michael Cole said sorry to two big names in WWE history for screwing up the ending of their legendary match.

It was way back in 1997 when Michael Cole started with WWE as a backstage interviewer, eventually calling matches. Cole came from the real news world but has become the longest-tenured play-by-play man in WWE history.

When SmackDown launched in August 1999, Michael Cole became the voice of the blue brand, a role that led to nearly 30 years of calling huge WWE matches ringside. Over the years, Cole has also become the voice of Raw and has called thousands of huge matches across Raw, SmackDown, and WWE PLE/PPV events.

There is also one big match in which Cole made a mistake during the finish, and he apologized to the wrestlers involved. That was at WrestleMania 37 in 2021 when Bianca Belair beat Sasha Banks to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Belair hit her Kiss of Death finisher, covered Banks, and Cole claimed that Banks kicked out, but she didn’t. Cole corrected himself and got excited about Belair’s huge win.

In an interview with The Sal Licata Show, Michael Cole called it a “massive screw-up” and apologized to the women involved.

“I had a massive screw-up in the WrestleMania where Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair headlined. [It was] the first time two African-American women had headlined the main event at WrestleMania. I screwed up at the finish, and I was embarrassed by it.

I apologized to both of the women afterward. They understand that things happen. The fans have never to this day let me forget about it. But it is something I regretted. I’d love to have it back if I could, but it’s just one of those moments. It’s just like calling any sporting event. Sometimes there’s going to be a mistake.” (h/t Fightful)

Michael Cole Is Grateful That Vince McMahon Stuck With Him

In a past interview with Logan Paul, Michael Cole talked about how his former WWE boss, Vince McMahon, molded him into the announcer McMahon wanted.

I think there were two things. Jim Ross obviously was the man, I still think the greatest ever. I think Vince understood JR was getting older and he needed to bring in somebody younger so I think because of my background, I was a good announcer at the time. JR had come to WWE already a wrestling guy and I think me being new and fresh and not a wrestling guy, Vince was able to mold me how he wanted me to be an announcer.

He stuck with it even when I sucked in the beginning and the fans freaking hated me, Vince stuck with me. I talk to Michael Hayes about this all the time, it’s amazing that I’ve lasted in this company this long because Vince, there were certain things that would set that man off and he would just go ‘Okay you’re done, fired, see ya.’ Sometimes for no reason but he stuck with me 100% of the time.

I’ll never disparage the man but Vince was very heavy-handed, controlled, it was his company, his sandbox, whatever you want so I never was really able to break out and be myself with the exception of a little bit of a heel run I had over a decade ago. When Vince left and when Paul came and was in charge, he really changed things.

Also Read: The WWE Hall Of Famer Who Says Michael Cole Is The GOAT Wrestling Announcer