WE FINALLY GET RID OF MICHAEL COLE BEHIND THE ANNOUNCE TABLE!!! Now admittedly, this is where nostalgia goggles may be the thickest for long time fans. We have been spoiled for years by having arguably the greatest announcer to ever live, Jim Ross. Good Ol' J.R., he could call a Hornswoggle vs Torito match and make it entertaining. But facts are facts, and the fact is this; Michael Cole is boring as sh*t. He cannot get passion and excitement out of you even when he tries. He has a limited bucket of phrases which he dives into ad nauseam, he's more interested in bantering with Jerry Lawler and JBL or promoting Twitter or the WWE App than he is in any match going on in the ring, and I've heard him say the word "Vintage!" so many times that hearing it automatically sends me into a homicidal rage in some kind of Manchurian Candidate scenario. Again, sports-entertainment is storytelling. And while the likes of Joey Styles or Tazz made excellent play by play guys who focused on selling the moves and match psychology, it was the team of J.R. and The King who excelled at storytelling. J.R. got you emotionally invested in every single match he called, and his good guy/bad guy banter with The King always drew you in. They could be funny, they could be serious, but they were ALWAYS entertaining. Today, the announce teams are too busy joking amongst themselves or plugging other products to pay attention to what goes on in the ring. And if THEY can't be bothered paying attention, then why should the audience bother?? Vince likes Michael Cole because he has a journalistic background, and that somehow translates to usefulness in the wrestling world. If Vince wants a pet that likes to play reporter, fine. But five hours of him coming out of your tv a week borders on torture. The JBL and Cole show on the website is fine, having Michael Cole as the Face of the App is fine. But this current announce team detracts from the product. JBL has his moments, but Jerry Lawler's getting older, and every since the PG era neutered his constant cries for "puppies!" he's lost a lot of entertainment value. So I'm in favour of a complete overhaul of the announce team. Moving on...