8 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Michael Cole

By Jack G King / February 26, 2016

Michael 'Maggle' Cole has been the lead announcer of Raw for eight years now, and hasn't particularly endeared himself to fans in that time. His slick, snappy style has always drawn (unfavourable) comparisons to more emotive predecessor Jim Ross, and an ill-advised heel turn in 2010 opened the floodgates of criticism for good. Despite this, he's remained a vital member of WWE's televised set-up for almost a decade - largely due to his status as a professional, willing company guy. It might therefore be a surprise to discover that Cole hasn't always maintained a squeaky clean image. Several controversies have peppered his career, from offensive posts on social media accounts (and even WWE.com itself), to an involvement in his fair share of outrage-sparking angles. It's likely that, when Cole eventually hangs up his headset, he'll be remembered a lot more fondly than current opinion would suggest - a testament to his longevity and commitment to the business. However, there are more than a few incidents WWE would be keen for us to forget when it's all said and done.

8. The Infamous Heidenreich Segment

When thinking about controversies involving Michael Cole over the course of his career, where better to start than the time he was implied to have been sexually assaulted by Heidenreich? On a 2004 episode of SmackDown, Cole was ambushed by the rookie heel and dragged off to a bathroom. Here's Heidenreich's own summary of the situation, from a 2008 interview with ProWrestling.net. 'Heidenreich is asked where that Michael Cole raping angle came from and he things that Vince McMahon came up with it in a dream one night. He said that Stephanie was the one who approached him on the day of the tapings to let him know what he'd be doing.'