10 Outrageous WWE Experiments That Failed
5. Michael Cole's Heel Turn
Signing on in 1997, Michael Cole has almost been with WWE for 20 years. Working at first as a backstage interviewer, he has progressed through the system to become the promotion's top announcer.
For many years, Cole was a chirpy commentator who would decry the actions of heels and encourage fans to root for the babyfaces.
In 2010, he began to show signs of change behind the announce desk. Suddenly, Cole could be heard cheering on the villains - in particular The Miz - and spouting venom the way of guys like Daniel Bryan.
From there, he was turned into a full-on heel announcer and ignited a feud opposite Jerry 'The King' Lawler.
Cole put his all into the heel role, but it was more than a tad over-the-top at times. Using the death of Lawler's mother as a plot point felt tawdry, and it was hard to see who WWE were trying to please by booking both men to go 15 minutes in a match at WrestleMania XXVII.
Nowadays, Cole has returned to being unbiased, making his near 2-year heel run all the more wacky.