Veteran WWE broadcaster Michael Cole has revealed he is dealing with ‘65% hearing loss’.
The SmackDown commentator, who previously covered the likes of the Yugoslavian civil war and the Oklahoma City bombing during his time with CBS Radio before joining Vince McMahon’s company in 1997, has opened up on the extent of the problem while chatting to his on-screen partner Pat McAfee.
During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the former NFL star said Cole was ‘actually deaf’, and he replied: ‘That is true, I’m actually 65% hearing loss…
‘That’s why – you’ve seen them, they make these special in-ear pieces that go underneath my headset on-air, so I can actually hear.’
Cole and the team jokingly pondered whether it was his lengthy career in WWE or his war reporting which led to his hearing loss.
Meanwhile, the voice of the blue brand admitted while there’s a lot of pressure ‘leading up to’ each broadcast, he loves the moment they go live and he gets to live ‘the best of every world’ with his role.
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He explained: ‘When the red light goes on, it’s fun. There’s a lot leading up to it and a lot of stuff that happens during the week, but Friday nights at 8 o’clock, when that red light goes on, it’s the best job in the world.
‘You get to be play-by-play guy, colour analyst, but you also get to be a storyteller and a narrator. You get to be an actor, you’re part of the show. It’s the best of every world possible.’
He has worked with a whole host of stars over the years, with the likes of John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield, Taz, Mick Foley, Corey Graves and more joining him at the announce table.
And Renee Young, now Paquette, hailed Cole as a ‘magician’ on the headset as she defended him from his critics after working with him on Raw.
She exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘I still talk to Cole all the time though! Michael Cole’s the absolute best. It’s so funny, I feel like he is such an unsung hero in WWE.
‘It’s easy for people to be like, “We hate Michael Cole, bleurgh” – but he is so good at his job, and he has always been so generous to me through my career in WWE.
‘He’s always supported me too much, and really became such a great friend to me through my time there. He’s such a great dude – I can’t wait to see Cole again down the line.’
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