Update On Michael Cole's Future Plans With WWE

It's emerged that Michael Cole will remain with WWE for awhile longer after signing a new contract this spring. Cole has been with WWE since 1997, spending the ensuing decades as an interviewer, occasional wrestler, and most notably the voice of modern WWE as a commentator. Ahead of this weekend's SummerSlam, the latest event Cole will be calling, The Ringer ran a career profile mentioning the new deal he agreed to, set to "keep him as the voice of WWE for the foreseeable future." 

Cole is currently found providing play-by-play on "WWE Raw" on Monday nights, and will continue to do so when the show makes its move to Netflix in January. At the table, he has filled the role of righteous voice of the people, paired with the likes of JBL, Corey Graves, and currently Pat McAfee providing color commentary. But that hasn't always been the case, as from 2010 to 2012 he played a snarky heel, with his own WrestleMania match in 2011. A common complaint about his character and commentary up until recently had been related to its scripted and inorganic nature, a problem that has since been deemed a result of Vince McMahon's direction, with the general perception that Cole has gotten better since Triple H took charge of programming. 

Cole has been decidedly more involved as an individual too, creating onscreen feuds with the likes of Dominik Mysterio and current WWE Women's Champion Bayley. The Ringer's piece details Cole's side of things while working under McMahon, explaining, "People still didn't accept me because they looked at me as being a puppet for Vince. And I think some of that probably was true." The difference under Triple H, as the CCO is credited with saying, "I let him do his job."