When Jim Ross's induction into the WWE Hall of Fame was announced on Raw, the response was overwhelming -- fans in attendance gave the beloved announcer a sustained ovation that not only brought tears to his eyes, but reportedly caused Vince McMahon to delay plans to shuffle him to Smackdown. To a generation of fans, the greatest wrestling announcer of all time was finally being given the credit he deserved. When the time comes for Michael Cole, the current voice of the WWE, to receive the honor, expect no such celebration. It's not that there's anything wrong with Cole's work -- he's no JR, but that's to be expected -- it's simply that, to many, his replacement of Ross is seen as endemic of the largest problem in WWE: we're supposed to like what they tell us to like, rather than make our own decisions. Cole is seen as a corporate anti-JR we've been force-fed, and for that reason, his Hall of Fame induction will evoke no such emotion from the fans. Plus, that annoying damned heel run didn't help matters, either.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
