Bayley had admitted that she has a lot of respect for Michael Cole.
During most of 2020 and early 2021, no fans were allowed to be in attendance for tapings due to restrictions in place as a result of the ongoing pandemic. With no one in the audience, matches were a lot quieter and at times nearly silent. To fill the dead air, the former Women’s Champion chose the WWE announcer as her target, frequently hurling insults in Cole’s direction.
Cole would become a regular target of the Damage CTRL member and was insulted for his commentary abilities onscreen and in social media segments.
Speaking with the Under The Ring podcast, the former Women’s Champion explained why Cole was a target of hers:
“It was just a weird time. A lot of stuff was on the fly and we kind of just had to fill time. So that a lot of that just came from like, Okay, well it’s awkwardly quiet in here. There’s only one person in this arena and it’s Michael Cole so he’s getting it. It’s just random things like that that make you really think on your feet which is fun.”
Bayley’s abilities to think on her feet and adapt to the extreme change of having no fans earned her title in fans’ minds of being one of the MVPs of the pandemic era of wrestling. In a brief change of character, the former Women’s Champion would give Cole his due and recognise him for his many years of service in WWE:
“Honestly, he’s the greatest at what he does. He has done this for what, 25 years? I can’t even imagine, and being able to be consistent with that, he did two shows every week. I get tired doing one. I will give him all his flowers and his respect and all that stuff.”
Bayley Gets Revenge On “Michael Cole”
In previous interviews, the SmackDown star has joked that she wants to have a match with the announcer at WrestleMania as Cole is undefeated at The Show of Shows. In a hilarious segment that took place before a TV taping, Bayley would finally get her match with Michael Cole, sort of.
In a new interview in April 2024, a WWE announcer named Michael Cole as the greatest of all time.
H/t to Wrestling News.co