Michael Cole is not holding back during John Cena’s retirement match tonight.
“I apologize in advance because I will be bias tonight. I apologize in advance because I will be extremely emotional tonight but I will ask for no acquittal when I scream at the top of my lungs: One final time, the Greatest of All Time John Cena!” said Cole in an X video.
Cole will not only be honoring Cena but all those legendary announcers who came before him.
“For Gordon Solie, the legendary wrestling commentator it was “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. For my predecessor Jim Ross it was “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. For me it was the “Greatest of All Time” John Cena. Wrestlers who dominated their generation, allowing us the honor of providing the soundtracks for our generation,” he said.
Cole then gave his own personal tribute to John Cena:
“There are three words which have defined John Cena’s career and frankly his life and these three words have strengthened me, possessed me, imbued me, throughout my journey in this business. Hustle: an immeasurable drive to be the best. To have just missed a handful of shows in 30 years. The most important thing to me when I finally wrap all of this up will be my work ethic. Loyalty: blind faith, sometimes to a fault, but I’ll never ask for forgiveness. This company is where I grew into the man I am today. Respect: treat everyone the same no matter their position and to spend countless years helping other announcers reach peak levels without once worrying about my spot. John Cena has meant everything to me. My career will forever be entwined with the “Greatest of All Time” only because I was in the right place at the right time. I can’t believe that later tonight will be the final time my long-time friend will step into a WWE ring. The final time I will say: ‘AA’, ‘STF’, ‘Five Knuckle Shuffle’, ’17-time world champion’”.
