Michael Cole Michael Sean Coulthard ( December 8 , 1968 ) , better known by his ring name Michael Cole , is an American professional wrestling commentator , currently signed to WWE on both its Raw and SmackDown brands . A former news journalist , Cole also serves as the commentator on Smackdown . Life and career . Journalism . Coulthard began his career in the media as a journalist , working for CBS Radio . His first high - profile assignment was to cover the failed 1988 US presidential campaign of Democratic Party nominee Michael Dukakis . In 1992 , he reported on the presidential campaign of Bill Clinton . Coulthard covered the 51 - day siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco , Texas , in 1993 . The following year , he spent nine months covering the Yugoslavian civil war . In 1995 he was also selected to cover the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing . He returned to the presidential campaign trail in 1996 to cover the failed campaigns of Steve Forbes and Sen . Bob Dole . World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment ( 1997 – present ) . Backstage interviewer and Raw ( 1997 – 1999 ) . Cole came to the World Wrestling Federation in mid - 1997 and started using the stage name " Michael Cole . " He became the host of " LiveWire " show alongside Jim Cornette . Coulthard debuted at SummerSlam , and replaced Todd Pettengill as a backstage interviewer , who left the WWF after the event . In late 1997 , Cole became one of the three announcers for the first hour of " Monday Night Raw " , alongside Jim Ross and Kevin Kelly . Eventually Cole was permanently replaced by Jerry Lawler later in the year . In 1999 , Cole became the regular play - by - play announcer for " Monday Night Raw " subbing for Jim Ross when Ross was devastated by Bell ' s palsy . SmackDown ! ( 1999 – 2008 ) . When the promotion ' s new " SmackDown ! " television program debuted later that year , Cole was chosen to be the show ' s play - by - play announcer . Originally his broadcast partner was Jerry " The King " Lawler , but when Lawler briefly left the WWF , he was replaced by Cole ' s " Heat " broadcast partner Tazz shortly before the WWF vs . WCW / ECW invasion storyline . Cole also had a stint doing commentary on " SmackDown ! " ' s former sister show " WWE Velocity " . As an announcer , Cole was rarely involved in storylines ; however , he has had minor roles in storylines involving Stone Cold Steve Austin , John Cena , Heidenreich , Stephanie McMahon , Vito , and D - Generation X ( Triple H , Shawn Michaels , Chyna , and Rick Rude ) . His 2004 angle with Heidenreich became infamous due to an implied scene where Heidenreich " Heidenraped " him in the arena restroom . In a 2008 interview , Heidenreich explained that the Cole rape angle was McMahon ' s idea , and that " Pulp Fiction " came to mind when Stephanie McMahon approached him with the idea . He also appeared in the " Taxi Driver " parody trailer in promotion of WrestleMania 21 . Cole called play - by - play at the 2006 Royal Rumble match because Ross , who had commentated the last three Royal Rumble matches with Tazz , had been " fired " in the storylines and replaced by former ECW play - by - play man Joey Styles , reuniting the original SmackDown ! team of Cole and Lawler . On February 3 , 2006 , it was announced that he and Tazz were starting a radio show on Howard Stern ' s " Howard 101 " radio station on Sirius , airing Thursday through Sunday at 8 pm , but the show was a trial run that only lasted a couple of weeks . On April 26 , 2006 , WWE announced that Cole would become the Managing Editor of WWE . com . Shortly after , WWE Chairman Vince McMahon told shareholders in a meeting held on September 14 that he believes that the website " sucks " . In response , Cole replied on WWE . com about updated content for the website : a broadband network with original web - only shows have been scheduled for October , with a new mobile offering , a re - vamped subscription site and more exclusive videos and photos . Cole went on to say , " So in summary , the web site does suck , compared to where we are going to take it , but it won ’ t suck for long . Wish I could say the same for the boss . " On the June 9 edition of " SmackDown ! " , Cole ' s broadcast partner Tazz left from SmackDown to ECW , leaving Cole at that moment without a broadcast partner . At ECW One Night Stand 2006 , John " Bradshaw " Layfield announced he would replace Tazz as color commentator . This proved true five days later when he appeared on that week ' s edition of " SmackDown ! " as Cole ' s new broadcast partner . After JBL left the broadcast booth and returned to wrestling action on " Raw " , Jonathan Coachman became Cole ' s new partner on January 4 , 2008 . Coachman was then replaced by Mick Foley beginning at Backlash on April 27 , 2008 . Raw announcing exclusively ( 2008 – 2010 ) . As a part of the 2008 WWE Draft , Cole was drafted to the Raw brand as Jim Ross was drafted to the SmackDown brand . This effectively ended Cole ' s near 10 - year run as play - by - play commentator on " Smackdown " in which he called every episode except for two . ( The two episodes were the pilot and the 9 / 11 Tribute show , both of which were called by Ross . ) On the July 7 , 2008 edition of " Raw " , Cole was attacked by Kane . He repeatedly asked Cole " Is he alive or dead ? " before Cole was saved by Jerry Lawler . Cole made his in - ring debut as Lawler ' s partner against the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase ; a match for the World Tag Team Championship . Cole and Lawler lost after Cole inadvertently tagged himself in , and was quickly pinned by Rhodes after a lariat . On the December 14 , 2009 episode of " Raw " , which was the 2009 Slammy Awards , Cole won " The " Oh My " Moment of the Year " award for vomiting on Chris Jericho at " SmackDown ' s 10th Anniversary " show on October 2 . Heel Turn and NXT ( 2010 ) . Cole is the color commentator for " WWE NXT " when the show debuted on February 23 , 2010 . Cole started to show early signs of a heel turn when he began to belittle certain rookies on the show , mainly Daniel Bryan . Cole began showing a liking to The Miz , who was Bryan ' s pro on that season , and who was becoming a significant heel on Raw . On the May 18 episode of " WWE NXT " , Bryan attacked Cole as a result of Cole ' s comments to him over the preceding weeks . The following week , Cole called Bryan out and demanded an apology from him , or else he would sue him for the assault . Bryan insulted Cole instead . Cole retaliated by calling Bryan a " loser " and slapping him , which caused Bryan to be restrained by security as Cole left the ring . After Cole ' s feud ended with Bryan in the second season of " NXT " , Cole began to show more support for The Miz and his rookie for that season , Alex Riley . As with Bryan in the first season of " NXT " , Cole picked on season two rookie Kaval for being another " internet darling " . On the third season on " NXT " , Cole criticized the whole competition after a challenge which would require him to ring a gong that was next to him . He walked off commentary , ostensibly " quitting " the show . Cole returned halfway through the next week ' s edition of " WWE NXT " , rejoining Josh Mathews and CM Punk , who filled in for Cole . Cole stated that " " NXT " without Michael Cole is simply bad , and that he was giving the show " journalistic integrity " . Just as in the first two seasons of " NXT " , Cole picked on a rookie , A . J . , who he would also call an " internet darling " . On the fourth season of " WWE NXT " , Cole was replaced by Todd Grisham on commentary . On the December 28 episode of " WWE NXT " , Cole returned to the show to help Brodus Clay in a talent show competition . Feud with Jerry Lawler ( 2010 – 2011 ) . On the June 21 , 2010 , episode of " Raw " , Cole became the official spokesman for the new ( anonymous ) General Manager of " Raw " ( as the GM issues his orders through e - mails addressed to Cole ) coming up with a new catchphrase of " and I quote . . . " to begin each e - mail reading . On the October 1 edition of " SmackDown " , Cole returned to the show to join Matt Striker and Todd Grisham on commentary . On that same episode , Cole told Striker and Grisham that the reason he was on the show was that he was the new " Voice of the WWE " and that he should be on all WWE shows . Over the next few months , Cole showed more signs of a heel turn when he started to pick on certain superstars on " Raw " and " SmackDown " . As Cole ' s heel character developed , Jerry Lawler showed displeasure in commentating with him . Cole dubbed his " fans " as Cole Miners , a play on the term coal mining . Even CM Punk , who had buddied up with Cole during the announcing of NXT Season 3 , said that his initials stood for Cole Miner . On the November 15 episode of " Raw " , Jim Ross returned to the WWE to call a match alongside Lawler and Cole , to Cole ' s obvious displeasure . After the match finished , JR beat Cole with his hat before he left . On the November 29 episode of " Raw " , Cole interfered in a Tables , Ladders & Chairs match for the WWE Championship between Lawler and The Miz , costing Lawler the match by helping Miz retain his title . A week later , Cole apologized , only to take it back and demand one from Lawler . After Lawler threatened to attack Cole , the anonymous " Raw " General Manager issued a " cease and desist " order , which barred any physicality between them and that if either of them violated the order , that individual would have their contract terminated immediately . Cole continued to argue with Lawler on commentary , telling him he was " stealing the spotlight " and to " stop putting his nose in other people ' s business " . After Lawler unsuccessfully challenged for the WWE Championship again at WWE Elimination Chamber , Cole interviewed him about his match on the following " Raw " . When Cole mentioned Lawler ' s recently deceased mother , Lawler stole the microphone from Cole and challenged him to a match at WrestleMania XXVII . Cole responded by throwing water into Lawler ' s face and then running backstage . A week later , Cole accepted Lawler ' s challenge to a match at WrestleMania , only if he could have his own personal trainer at ringside with him and if he could choose the special guest referee for the match . Cole then revealed his trainer to be Jack Swagger . On the March 7 , 2011 episode of " Raw " , Cole announced that he had chosen John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) as the referee for the match , but before he could sign the contract , Stone Cold Steve Austin interrupted and delivered a Stone Cold Stunner to JBL , and then signed the contract himself , making him the referee for the match . From the March 14 episode of " Raw " , Cole began announcing both " Raw " and " SmackDown " inside a glass booth which he called the Cole Mine . Later that night , Cole invited Brian Christopher , Lawler ' s son , to the ring to reveal the truth about Lawler . Christopher confronted his father and told him he was ashamed to use the name " Lawler " and accused him of being absent from most of his life . Jim Ross then interrupted and confronted Cole and called him a " rat bastard " . Jack Swagger attacked Ross and put him an Ankle Lock . Cole also followed suit . During following weeks he criticized the WWE Diva s saying they should not be in the WWE . At WrestleMania , Lawler won the match by submission , using the ankle lock submission hold that Cole and Swagger had used on him during the last few weeks leading into the event . While celebrating his victory with Stone Cold , the anonymous Raw General Manager reversed the decision , due to Stone Cold physically getting involved in the match by pushing Cole , thus , making Cole the winner by disqualification . A month later at Extreme Rules , Cole teamed with Swagger to defeat Jim Ross and Lawler in a Country Whipping match . Lawler challenged Cole to one last match at Over The Limit . Cole initially declined , but Swagger was provoked into agreeing to the match on Cole ' s behalf . A week later , Cole announced that the match would be a " Kiss My Foot " match . During the signing , Cole and Swagger ' s alliance ended when Cole insulted Swagger , causing him to walk out on Cole , who then tried to beg Lawler for forgiveness . At the pay - per - view , Lawler defeated Cole . After the match , Eve Torres and Jim Ross would come out and get their retribution on Cole . Eve Torres delivered her signature moonsault to Michael and Jim Ross covered Michael ' s face in barbecue to humiliate Michael Cole . Bret " The Hitman " Hart would then return and put Cole in his signature submission move , the Sharpshooter , to help Lawler make Cole kiss his foot . Return to commentating ( 2011 ) . On the May 23 edition of " Raw " , the night after Over The Limit , Cole said he regretted his behavior over the past few months and offered Lawler a full apology , which Lawler accepted , and soon enough , Cole returned to being a commentator . Despite this , he continues his heel run as he still favors villains like The Miz , Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio and questions some of the actions by fan favorites to regain control in a match . He also started liking the divas matches , saying they are his favourite but continues to show his dislike towards Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres . On the May 30 episode of " Raw " , Cole would insult Alex Riley during an in - ring interview , which caused Riley to attack Cole . Miz would save Cole by attacking Riley from behind , but was also blindsided by Riley . A week later , after John Cena and Riley defeated Miz and R - Truth , Cole would announce that the Anonymous " Raw " General Manager had reversed the ruling , due to Steve Austin physically assaulting The Miz during the match , thus , making Miz and Truth the winners instead ( because Cena and Riley are both disqualified ) . Austin would bring Cole into the ring hit his signature " Stone Cold Stunner " on him , followed by Cena hitting an Attitude Adjustment finishing move on him . Austin would then pour beer all over Cole while celebrating with Cena and Riley . On the June 20 " Power to the People " episode of " Raw " , Cole was voted as the opponent for Vickie Guerrero in a dance - off , hosted by Matt Striker . Cole would imitate the signature worm of Scotty 2 Hotty and the signature " Spin - a - Roonie " of Booker T . Cole would win the dance - off for receiving the most amount of boos ( originally to be most amount of cheers , Striker changed it to boos when both Vickie and Cole were just booed ) . On the July 25 episode of " Raw " , after Triple H announced the return of Jim Ross on commentary , Cole became angry with the decision , which led to Triple H giving Cole the choice to quit or stay . After Cole agreed to stay , Triple H announced Cole would have a match and would have the rest of the night off commentary . Cole ( forced to dress and mimic Triple H ) was defeated by Zack Ryder in a squash match . Later that same week on " SmackDown " , Cole stated that he was not quitting and he was going to continue to commentate on " Raw " alongside Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler . After a short time , Ross was on - screen fired ( briefly ) . Daniel Bryan won the World Heavyweight Championship which brought Cole ' s fears to life with having to call Daniel Bryan a World Champion , but shortly after winning the title , with Bryan starting to show heel traits , Cole started supporting him calling him " Mr . Bryan " and stating " Daniel Bryan had a reason to yell at Mark Henry " . Although Cole ' s heel - style lead commentary involves antagonizing color commentator Jerry " the King " Lawler , Cole was deeply shaken when Lawler suffered a real - life heart attack while performing commentary duties during a live " Raw " broadcast September 10 , 2012 , at Montreal , Quebec . Cole — who several times stressed that Lawler ' s illness was indeed real — said that he hoped Lawler would pull through and make a full recovery . Face Turn ( 2012 – present ) . At Night of the Champions 2012 Cole reverted former commentary style from before his heel turn by praising faces , with JBL who is filling in for Jerry Lawler as a color commentator , as the heel sympathizer . It was later confirmed that Michael ' s quick actions had a hand in saving Jerry Lawler ' s life . Cole continues to be face as on ION ' s show WWE Main Event , Cole plays face as his former friend The Miz , plays heel . Personal life . Coulthard graduated from Webutuck High School in 1984 and attended the S . I . Newhouse School of Public Communications in Syracuse University . Coulthard says that his favourite country to visit is South Africa . Coulthard loves twitter . Coulthard is married to a woman named Yolanda and the couple have two adopted sons , named Calvin and Mark . Coulthard ' s oldest son , Calvin , also works for WWE in the television production department . Beside doing commentary in the WWE video games , he will be featured as a playable superstar in " WWE ' 12 " in his WrestleMania 27 gear . He was previously only available for in - game use via cheat devices such as Xploder .