WWE's Michael Cole may have no idea the outcome of major matches like Money in the Bank ahead of time
Michael Cole reveals he often doesn't know WWE match outcomes, including this weekend's Money in the Bank ladder match event in New Orleans.
The pro wrestling matches are famously pre-determined. Everyone who tunes into events – small or large – knows that the outcome of the match has already been decided. But that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone knows who is going to win or lose at all times.
Viewers certainly don’t know. They may have an inkling of who would win based on the story places like WWE want to tell, but nothing is ever 100% certain. Now, how about the broadcasters? A viewer may anticipate that those calling the match, like Michael Cole, already know whose hand is going to be raised at the end of the match. But that’s not always the case.
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Cole explained in an interview with OutKick’s Bobby Burack for OutKick Dropkick that he doesn’t like to know what the outcome is going to be sometimes, especially in unique matches like this weekend’s Money in the Bank. Men and women will participate in separate matches and try to climb the ladder to earn a future shot at a world title.
"Fifty-fifty. Sometimes I do because I need to know where to lead the audience in terms of where stories may be going each and every week," Cole said of knowing the result of the matches. "Of course, we’re episodic TV. We need to be able to explain to the audience where we’re going each and every week.
"Sometimes, I don’t like to know the ending of matches. The Money in the Bank match is a great example. I want the excitement to take over. There have been some great matches over the years where I didn’t know the finish for: The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar when Brock Lesnar defeated Undertaker and ended his undefeated streak at WrestleMania. I didn’t know that was going to happen. I didn’t know that Seth Rollins was going to cash in the Money in the Bank at WrestleMania. ‘Heist of the Century’ I came up with on the fly."
The Money in the Bank premium live event is highly anticipated by fans each year. Everyone wants to know who is going to get that push and earn an opportunity for a world title shot.
The men’s match includes: CM Punk, Kevin Owens, Trick Williams, Bron Breakker, Je’Von Evans and Penta. The women’s match includes: Sol Ruca, Lola Vice, Jacy Jayne, Roxanne Perez, Lash Legend and Tiffany Stratton.
Cole ranked Money in the Bank somewhere around the level of two other major premium live events.
"Money in the Bank, for us, is right up there. Almost at the same level as the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series," he said. "Not quite WrestleMania or SummerSlam, but it’s getting there. It’s such an important part of our calendar because it’s an opportunity for a man and a woman to change their entire career and change their lives.
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"When you climb the ladder and grab the briefcase, a contract is inside that you can cash in for a title opportunity whenever you want it. And this year’s field is so great. There’s some veterans. There’s a lot of rookies. So it’s going to be amazing to see who has an opportunity to really change their life around."
Cole said, for the most part, he won’t know the winners of the event and he will have to come up with the perfect line on the fly which will forever be cemented in the winners’ legacy.
"Money in the Bank is really unique because ladder matches are a very difficult match to call because the action is nonstop," he explained. "There’s really no rest period for us to really be able to tell stories or develop our characters. It’s really pedal to the metal, go, go, go, from the time the bell rings. We do a lot of our work during the entrances. We try to explain to people who some of these superstars are. It’s very important because we have a new audience each and every time that we have a premium live event. It’s important that we bring our characters forward.
"This year’s Money in the Bank ladder match, both on the men’s and on the women’s sides, have a lot of newcomers. So, we’re really going to have to do our job in the entrances of explaining to people who these characters are and why they should have an emotional connection to them. That’s a big part of this. And again, of course, there’s the ending. The person who finally climbs the ladder and grabs the briefcase. How can you make that moment different? How can you make that moment special? And that’s my job."
Money in the Bank takes place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Saturday. The event begins at 6 p.m. ET.