Released WWE star reveals the reason why Michael Cole hated Bayley so much
Michael Cole has been the voice of WWE for several years now. After taking the torch from legends like Jim Ross and Jerry ''The King'' Lawler, Cole is on his way to becoming one of the greatest commentators in wrestling history. A released WWE star reveals why Cole hated Bayley so much.
On Keepin' It 100 with wrestling legend Konnan, AJ Francis (Fka Top Dolla) spoke about the supposed heat that he had with Michael Cole. After his infamous botch in late 2022 on an episode of SmackDown, Top Dolla became the subject of ridicule from Cole, with The Voice of WWE actively mocking him for months.
On the episode of Keepin' it 100, the now-released WWE star revealed that the reason why Michael Cole targeted him, Bayley, and Austin Theory was because he genuinely loved all of them and wanted fans to care about them:
"[Michael] Cole loves me. Cole only talks about people he really likes. That's why he talks so much about Bayley, that's why he talks so much about Austin Theory, me. He wants the audience to care about these people. So like, Cole was actively trying to get them to talk about me, because if he wasn't talking about me and I wasn't being put on TV, then there wasn't any traction for us to be doing anything. And also, me and him wanted to have a match at SummerSlam [2023]... they said no, it's just like, it wasn't even a concept to them." [From 00:34 to 01:18]
Check out the video below:
Bayley was full of praise for Michael Cole following her face turn
Following the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble, Bayley began to turn face and cemented her position as a babyface on the 2nd February episode of SmackDown when she confronted three of the Japanese stars on Damage CTRL over their backstabbing tendencies. She would go on to choose IYO SKY as her WrestleMania opponent.
Bayley recently praised her long-time rival by stating that their "feud" began during the pandemic due to the silence in the arena, and they just made the most of it. She went on to call him the greatest at what he does due to his 25 years in the industry and gave him his flowers. Their on-screen rivalry has been nothing short of hilarious.
What are your thoughts on Cole and Bayley's rivalry? Sound off in the comments section below.