10 Things We Learned From WWE SmackDown's First Ever Episode

6. Michael Cole & Jim Cornette Were A Damn Good Commentary Team

Michael Cole Jim Cornette
WWE Network

When SmackDown debuted as a pilot tester, Jim Ross had only recently returned to television after recovering from a second bout of Bell's Palsy. Attempts to turn him heel on Michael Cole failed, and Ross resumed his 'Good Ol' JR' guise soon thereafter. That didn't stop the WWF from trying something new on SmackDown.

Cole worked with Jim Cornette, and they were damn good.

This writer is a colour man himself, and so he appreciates great announcing work when he hears it. Cole, for all the criticism he's had over the years, was already switched-on to the product in '99, and Cornette's work alongside him was both witty and complementary to Cole's play-by-play style.

Haters won't like it, but here's how it is: Michael Cole was quickly finding his feet in 1999, and there's a reason why he's been around in WWE for over 20 years. Here, his banter with Cornette felt natural and went with the flow of a chaotic format rather than working against it.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.