Why WWE Fans Love Michael Cole Now

3. The Beast In The East

Michael Cole WWE
WWE

The Beast in the East was a 2015 WWE Network special which emanated from Ryōgoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan. While the majority of matches on the card received plentiful praise - particularly Chris Jericho vs. Neville, and Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor - one other element of the show that was warmly received was Michael Cole's commentary.

By this point in time, Cole had long been viewed as the generic WWE voice who battered audiences with Vince McMahon buzzwords and a sanitised commentary that rarely offered anything of genuine note to the in-ring action and instead was overflowing with plugs and recaps. For all accounts and purposes, the New York native was Vince's surrogate who spouted exactly what McMahon wanted the watching audience to hear.

So, when Vinny Mac opted against making the trip out to Tokyo for The Beast in the East, fans were left stunned by how darn impressive Michael Cole was. Without VKM constantly berating him down his ear, Cole produced a performance that felt more natural, more fresh and more stripped back. He and partner Byron Saxton left the wrestling to speak for itself at times, never being scared to sit out in silence if called for, rather than constantly filling the air and taking away from the grappling.

With this one show, fans started to realise that, despite their long-standing feelings, Michael Cole may not actually be all that bad. Rather than him, it was Vince McMahon who was the real problem for WWE commentary.

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Senior Writer

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