Michael Cole has reflected on the immense pressure he faced when stepping into WWE as the perceived successor to Jim Ross, admitting it took him nearly a decade to develop his own identity behind the commentary desk.
Speaking on What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon (full episode below), Cole recalled constantly being reminded that he was expected to replace Ross, calling it one of the biggest challenges of his career. Before discussing his own journey, Cole also shared well wishes for Ross amid his recent 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 admitted he initially questioned whether he would ever be able to meet those expectations, despite receiving unwavering support from Vince McMahon and former WWE executive Kevin Dunn.
“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. And 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.”
Looking back on his early work, Cole acknowledged that he spent years trying to imitate Ross before realizing he needed to establish his own style.
“It was a struggle for a decade, Steph, of 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. But 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 went on to explain that, while both he and Ross focused on telling stories and introducing fans to WWE’s characters, he eventually realized what truly made Ross stand out from every other announcer.
“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.”
For now, Michael Cole gears up for “The Biggest Party of the Summer,” as he will be on the call for the upcoming two-night WWE SummerSlam 2026 premium live event, which goes down on August 1 and August 2 from US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN.
Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com on 8/1 and 8/2 for live WWE SummerSlam 2026 Results coverage.
