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MICHAEL COLE Career Highlights: Voice of SmackDown! |
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To succeed as a WWE play-by-play announcer, it takes more than just vast
knowledge of sports entertainment. It takes the ability to put a whole
series of events into a few words. It takes a voice that can relay to
millions of fans the emotion of an event. Most importantly, it takes the
courage to describe a series of actions that dramatically change and
re-develop with each passing second. All of these qualities describe exactly why Michael Cole is a success as the voice of SmackDown! While working for CBS Radio in 1993, Cole covered the entire 51-day standoff at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas that led to tragedy when more than 80 residents of the compound perished in a fire that erupted during a shootout between them and federal agents. In 1994, he traveled to Sarajevo for what was supposed to be a six-week assignment covering the siege of the city by Serbian forces. The assignment turned into a nine-month life-changing experience when he reported daily from the war-torn city, ducking snipers and mortar shells at every turn. His documentary, “Voices of Bosnia” was critically acclaimed and won several major awards. Experienced in the face of tragedy, Cole was dispatched to Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995 to cover the horrific bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, where 168 people were killed. Cole also covered three presidential elections—1988 with Michael Dukakis, 1992 with Bill Clinton, and 1996 with Steve Forbes and Bob Dole. In 1997, Cole brought his talents to WWE where he hosted the syndicated Livewire show, along with Shotgun Saturday Night with Jim Cornette. By the end of that year, he was an announcer on RAW. From 1997-99 he held regular stints as a RAW announcer and when SmackDown! made its debut in 1999, Cole was chosen for the lead play-by-play announcing role. Today, Cole enjoys his spot alongside Tazz every Thursday night and his talent and ability to describe all of the action World Wrestling Entertainment has to offer has earned him as much praise in sports entertainment as he earned in the news world. |
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