WWE's Michael Cole Refuses To Disparage Vince McMahon, Compares Him To Triple H

WWE commentator Michael Cole, one of the longest-serving stars on the WWE roster, has worked under both Vince McMahon and Paul "Triple H" Levesque and has now explained the major differences in their leadership styles.

Cole, during his recent appearance on Logan Paul's "Impaulsive" podcast, credited McMahon for his WWE career and said that he would not criticize him. He believes that the former WWE Chairman retained him, despite the mistakes he made in his early years in WWE, as McMahon wanted to shape him the way he wanted to.

"I think one of the things about the old regime — and listen, I will never, ever disparage Vince McMahon. Yeah, he's got his personal issues and whatnot, but from a professional standpoint, I'll never disparage the man. I would not be here today without Vince. He gave me everything, stuck with me when I was learning to be a wrestling guy ... I wasn't a wrestling guy when I came here," said Cole. "JR [Jim Ross] had already come to the WWE as a wrestling guy, and I think me being new and fresh [and] not a wrestling guy allowed Vince to mold me into the announcer he wanted me to be, and he stuck with it. Even when I sucked in the beginning and everything else, when the fans freaking hated me, Vince stuck with me."

The veteran commentator stated that McMahon had a reputation for firing people even for the most innocuous things, and is surprised he lasted so long during his reign.

Ever since Paul "Triple H" Levesque has taken charge of WWE's creative, Michael Cole seems to have got a new lease on life as he has showcased his real personality. He touched upon how Levesque and another WWE executive Lee Fitting, have allowed him to shine.

"When Vince left and Paul [Levesque] took over, Triple H, he really changed things. And then we brought in Lee Fitting, who came from ESPN. Lee, coming from ESPN, where the talent is the announcer, came here and said, 'I don't understand why our guys at the desk aren't bigger, have bigger personas, and are as respected as the people in the ring,'" Cole said. "You know, being old school, I understand that the guys and girls in the ring are the ones putting their bodies on the line each and every week. People are buying tickets to see Roman Reigns; they're not buying tickets to see Michael Cole. But, as you said earlier, we're a very important part of the product. What Lee and Paul have allowed us to do is bring our personalities out. And, you know, you're seeing the real Michael Cole now."

Cole lauded his fellow commentator Pat McAfee and stated that he loves working alongside him, with whom he has a real-life friendship. The "WWE Raw" commentator added another major difference between working with Vince McMahon and Paul Levesque is that the latter is not constantly feeding him instructions during the show, which McMahon was famous for doing. He conceded, though, that he bears no grudges against McMahon for acting that way as it was his product and he wanted it to be a certain way.