WWE: Is Michael Cole the New Mr. McMahon?

It has been really interesting watching Michael Cole’s character and role in the WWE evolve over the past decade. He began his career interviewing superstars backstage and sat alongside Jerry Lawler to call WrestleMania 15.

The way he replaced Jim Ross on the announcer's table and his inability to live up to the heights set by J.R have led many wrestling fans to question Cole’s role in the business.

But have the WWE finally found the perfect character for Michael Cole? Is Michael Cole the new Mr. McMahon?

In short, no.

The WWE do, however, have plenty of material to work with to make his character as hated as McMahon was during the height of the Attitude Era.

The past few weeks have brought about a character that I’ve not enjoyed hating as much as I did since McMahon. The feud with Jerry Lawler may just be the launchpad that propels Cole into the company of figures such as Eric Bischoff, the McMahons and Paul Heymen.

His catchphrase, “May I have your attention, please,” has become a staple of Cole’s appearances and one which causes a huge reaction from the audience.

His enjoyment of reading out the Raw general manager’s emails and the way he buries Divas during their matches have allowed his character to grow from a seemingly neutral announcer to the embodiment of a heel.

Along with this, the WWE found a way to even further Cole’s character—the introduction of the Cole Mine. Michael Cole would now lock himself in a glass box, safe from the advances of Jerry Lawler or any other superstar.

The simplicity of it is a wonderful reminder of how small props can help add to a growing feud and the building of a character. Whatever happens after WrestleMania I hope the WWE can keep the Cole Mine in some capacity.

Unfortunately, however, it is far too early to say whether Cole can become the new driving force for the company. A heel who can help to put over young, up-and-coming stars and help to create storylines that are fresh and with added dimensions.

If the WWE have truly found their new McMahon, then they need to take Cole completely away from announcing. It's been a very inconsistent past few weeks with Cole switching between impartial announcer to a heel character.

Someone who is calling for Randy Orton to refrain from punting the Nexus members in the head morphing to a character hellbent on snapping Lawler’s ankle with the anCOLE lock is one of the many inconsistencies to his character, and the WWE needs to address this if the Cole character is a road they wish to pursue.

But if Wrestlemania can be the launchpad to Cole’s career as a heel character rather than its curtain call, then the WWE could be on the verge of a another era swing.

The days of simple good guys vs. bad guys could be over, and we may be looking into a period of defined wrestling characters and personalities headed by Michael Cole in a prominent role.