Summary

WWE announcer Michael Cole has opened up about an announcing error he made during WrestleMania 37, calling it a "massive screw-up" he still regrets. Speaking on The Sal Licata Show, Cole recalled the finish of the main event, where Bianca Belair defeated Sasha Banks with the KOD. In the moment, Cole mistakenly called Sasha as having kicked out. His broadcast partner Corey Graves corrected him immediately.

Cole said the mistake weighed on him, and he personally apologized to both Belair and Banks afterward. Both women were gracious about it.

Quote from Michael Cole

"I had a massive screw-up at WrestleMania, where Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair headlined WrestleMania, the first time two African American women had headlined the main event.

I screwed up at the finish, and I was embarrassed by it. I apologized to both of the women afterward. They understood that things happen. The fans, to this day, have never let me forget about it, but it is something I regret. I'd love to have it back if I could, but it's just one of those moments. You're in the heat of the moment. It's like calling any sporting event; sometimes there's going to be a mistake.

That's why when fans go off on a Joe Buck or all the issues with Tony Romo this year, I feel for those guys. Because Romo and Buck are the best in the business, there's nobody in the world better than them. Yet they're constantly being berated by people who believe there can be better, who believe they know better.

And I've said before, put on these headsets, sit at ringside for two hours one night, and let's see what you can do. That's it."

The Moment in Context

WrestleMania 37 was held in April 2021 in Tampa, Florida, and its main event made history as Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks became the first two Black women to headline WrestleMania. Belair won the SmackDown Women's Championship with her KOD finisher in a match widely celebrated for both its athletic quality and cultural significance.

In that context, the mis-call landed harder than a typical gaffe might. Cole's voice is the one most associated with WWE's biggest moments, and the finish of a historic main event was precisely the moment fans were counting on him.

What Cole's Honesty Means for Bianca Belair's Legacy

Cole has been WWE's lead play-by-play voice for over two decades, covering WrestleManias, Royal Rumbles, and title changes that fill highlight reels. Broadcasting live wrestling combines the unpredictability of sport with the theatrical density of entertainment, and real-time errors come with the territory. Even the most experienced voices in major sports get it wrong in big moments.

The fact that Cole is still being reminded of this call years later reflects how deeply the WrestleMania 37 main event resonated. Bianca Belair's victory over Sasha Banks was a landmark moment in WWE history, and his continued acknowledgment of the mistake underscores just how much that finish meant to the performers and fans who witnessed it. For Belair especially, it reinforces that her WrestleMania moment is one people have not forgotten, for better or for worse.

Sources

As reported by NoDQ.