How Pat McAfee Changed Michael Cole’s Approach To WWE Announcing
Working with Pat McAfee has changed Michael Cole’s philosophy on announcing in WWE.
Back in January, Pat McAfee returned to the announce booth on WWE Raw alongside Michael Cole just in time for the red brand’s Netflix debut. The duo have become one of wrestling’s most popular pairings ever since McAfee first joined the veteran on the headset in April 2021 on SmackDown. McAfee’s infectious enthusiasm for pro wrestling has rubbed off on Cole over the years, to the point where he’s even joined the ESPN host in dancing on the announce table more than once.
Speaking to Front Office Sports, Cole explained the changes in his announcing style over the years but admitted it took McAfee to make him realise the business was supposed to be fun.
“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.”
WWE Forced Into Announcer Change
While he is a regular announcer for Raw, McAfee will still take regular breaks from Raw to fulfil his duties on ESPN’s College GameDay. Now it has been reported that SmackDown will see a change in announcers for similar reasons, as Joe Tessitore will miss the February 14th edition of the blue brand as he calls a night of boxing headlined by Denys Berinchyk defending his WBO lightweight world championship against Keyshawn Davis. It is currently unknown who will replace Tessitore for the night.