Michael Cole spent years being told he was supposed to replace Jim Ross, and that pressure followed him every time he sat behind the WWE commentary desk.
During an appearance on What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon, Cole opened up about the burden of following one of the most respected announcers in wrestling history. He said the comparison was drilled into him from the moment he arrived, even though he entered WWE with far less experience than Ross. Cole also took a moment to send his best wishes to Ross amid his health issues.
“When I started here, for many years it was always, ‘You’re Jim Ross’s replacement. Jim Ross’s replacement.’ I heard it ad nauseam, and those are massive, massive shoes to fill. And by the way, shout-out to JR, because I know he’s going through some health issues. I wish JR the best in his surgery and everything else.”
Cole explained that Ross had spent his entire adult life in wrestling, while he arrived in WWE at 30 years old without fully understanding the business he was stepping into. That experience gap made Cole question whether he was capable of becoming WWE’s lead voice, even with Vince McMahon and longtime television executive Kevin Dunn backing him.
“They were tough shoes to fill because JR was a lifer in this business. He started out as a teenager. I came into this at 30 years old, didn’t know what I was getting into, and they were pretty mighty shoes to fill.”
“For many years, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to do that. Vince believed in me. Kevin Dunn believed in me. I’m not sure I believed in myself until one day the light bulb went on and I said, ‘I think I may belong here.’”
That realization did not come quickly. Cole admitted that it took nearly a decade before he stopped trying to sound like Ross and finally discovered what his own commentary style should be. Looking back at his early work now, Cole said some of it is difficult for him to hear because he was directly copying Ross’ expressions and delivery.
“It was a struggle for a decade, Steph, trying to figure out what my voice was and how that voice was different from Jim Ross’s.”
“Early on in my career, you go back and hear some stuff—it’s all over YouTube—it’s embarrassing. You’ll hear me screaming, ‘Stomping a mud hole in him the size of Texas,’ doing the stuff that Jimmy was doing, and I’m saying to myself, ‘God, this is embarrassing. What can I do to differentiate?’”
Cole said he initially struggled to understand why Ross connected with viewers on a deeper level. Both men were telling stories and explaining the wrestlers’ characters, but Ross had something Cole had not yet learned how to deliver. According to Cole, the difference was emotion.
“I could never understand early on what the difference between me and Jim Ross was, because I would sit back and listen to tapes and go, ‘I’m telling a story. Jim’s telling a story. I’m explaining to you who these characters are. Jim’s doing the same thing. Why is Jim the greatest of all time?’”
“Because Jim had emotion, and you could feel even the simplest of calls out of Jim Ross. That’s why people believed in him. And I hope, over the number of years I’ve been here, that at least I’ve been able to emulate that just a little bit.”
Cole eventually stopped trying to become the next Jim Ross and built a voice that has carried WWE television for decades. The comparison may never completely disappear, but Cole made it clear that finding his own identity was the only way he could survive the pressure.
Do you think Michael Cole successfully created his own legacy after following Jim Ross? Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
