The Insane Reason Why Ex-WWE Boss Vince McMahon "Repeatedly" Fined Michael Cole

WWE announcer Michael Cole was "repeatedly" fined for using one tiny word.

by Jamie Kennedy
Corey Graves Michael Cole
WWE

Former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz has revealed that Vince McMahon "repeatedly" fined announcer Michael Cole for using just one small word on commentary.

According to Gewirtz, who told this story in his new book, the former WWE boss forced Cole to take a financial hit whenever he ended sentences with the word "now". Brian said Vince hated that MC would end calls with it.

For example, Cole might say: "Jeff Hardy, going into the ropes now...". This verbal tic is something longtime fans might recognise, but every announcer has their own go-to words in the heat of the moment. McMahon just didn't like Cole's. At all.

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Vince fined Michael every single time he ended a sentence with "now". It got so out of hand that Cole eventually learned never to say it again. It'd be interesting to revisit some of his recent calls to see if he has started using it again since McMahon retired.

The former boss had strict rules for his announcers. Famously, Vince hated when commentators would refer to wrestlers as "he" or "she". Instead, he wanted to hear the worker's name every time.

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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.