WWE Gimmicks That FAILED The HARDEST Every Year (1985-2025)
15. Heel Michael Cole (2011)
Longstanding announcer Michael Cole's heel turn happened via NXT in 2010 when he started rubbishing Daniel Bryan and yawning his way through other matches he called terrible or boring. It was evident to most that Cole was the mouthpiece for Vince McMahon's true thoughts about some on the roster, but it threatened to go too far on occasion.
"Too far" would just about cover giving Michael vs. Jerry Lawler almost 15 minutes of ring time at WrestleMania XXVII. They went longer than some more dynamic matches on the same card, and then rolled on to other gimmicks like a 'Kiss My Foot' match and rap battle between Cole and Jim Ross. It was like WWE fancied producing bad television on purpose!
Someone behind the scenes (Vince, presumably) thought heel Cole was a hoot. He could be, but the best heel commentators know when to pick their spots, and they simply can't be the lead anchor. There's nowhere for a show to go if it's constantly derailed by the lead commentator, which is what happened with our Mikey.
His work in 2011, in particular, brought several episodes of Raw to a screeching halt, and he was involved in far too many PPV matches for someone who did his best work calling the action at ringside. Cole's 'boo boo' faces, the 'Cole Mine' structure that protected him behind a bespoke desk, his trolling of various matches/wrestlers and more became insufferable.
It'd actually take a real-life Lawler heart attack in late-2012 before Michael returned to more strait laced ways. It was about time he did.