I'd argue that it was their fault for pushing the UE for such a long time, specially Cole. Dude is small by NXT standards, of course a dudebro like McAfee would harp on that, and it's precisely that what's keeping the feud from being a bigger hit
Like, imagine if instead of taunting Cole for being short, he were to taunt someone else for being an underachiever, or a choke artist? You'd get the same or a better reaction without cheapening your most pushed act. You can bounce back on choking, but not really on your height.