WWE Veteran Recalls “Inappropriate” Comments From Vince McMahon

A WWE veteran has reflected on what it was like to work for Vince McMahon.

Michael Cole got his start with WWE as a backstage interviewer in 1997 before moving to the commentary booth when Jim Ross was forced to take time off due to illness. Cole then shifted to SmackDown and eventually became the lead commentator on Raw, where he remains to this day.

The announcer rose through the WWE ranks during Vince McMahon’s tenure running creative, and while he was famously ranting into the headsets of his commentators. WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has regularly recalled being yelled at by McMahon while on the air.

In a new interview with Bryan Curtis for The Ringer, Cole looked back on his clashes with McMahon admitting the former chairman said things that were “inappropriate.”

“I’m not going to lie, there have been times where he has said things to me that were inappropriate. I would go back to Gorilla after the show and get in his face and tell him, ‘That was bullsh*t.’ He respected that I did that.

Over the next few years, people still didn’t accept me because they looked at me as being a puppet for Vince. And I think some of that probably was true. Listen, I’m not a rebel. I’m here to make money and take care of my family and provide myself a good living. And when your boss asks you to do something, you do it. I still think, at that time, I was a hell of a good announcer.”

CM Punk Says Vince McMahon’s WWE Exit Was Key

During a recent interview ahead of his return to the ring at SummerSlam, CM Punk admitted he wouldn’t be back with WWE if Vince McMahon was still in charge. He added that one day he would write a book and spill the beans on his comeback.

Punk repeatedly clashed with McMahon during his initial WWE run and was reportedly ordered to leave a Raw taping in Chicago in 2023 by McMahon via Triple H after visiting backstage.

In January, former WWE employee Janel Grant filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE. The lawsuit contained allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking, and McMahon later left the company, although he continues to deny any wrongdoing.