Those tuned into Tuesday’s premiere of WWE NXT, notably the main-event segment, undoubtedly noticed that WWE built the commentary between a “mark vs. smark” dynamic between announcers Michael Cole and Josh Matthews.
While Matthews played ally to the “Internet fans,” touting Daniel Bryan’s worldwide and domestic independent experience, Michael Cole repeatedly dismissed Bryan’s history of performing at “high schools” as irrelevant. He aligned with The Miz’s character when it came to demanding Bryan show respect for the WWE Pros and added that he had never really heard anything about the wrestler prior to the debut of NXT.
Some fans reacted with outrage, feeling as if Cole’s comments represented a deliberate disrespect for diehard wrestling fans and what talent like Daniel Bryan have accomplished outside of the WWE ring. But it was obvious to most, however, that Cole was simply playing a character to further get the NXT dynamic over with the broader audience.
In case anyone still doubted whether Cole was simply playing a role, the WWE Universe Twitter posted the following Tuesday night: “Michael Cole has requested his @WWEUniverse profile be removed from our site, not wanting to associate with “online fans” any longer.”