Corey Graves was a former pro wrestler but was forced into retirement. He would be later employed as a commentator by the WWE. It could be said that he was a popuular figure among the various commentators. Things have slowly changed with the hiring of Joe Tessitore. As a result of this, Graves has been, 'demoted' to NXT (a developmental brand). He didn't take this news kindly and instead, is furious with it.
He was set to appear on the 14th January edition of NXT. However, he threatened to air dirty laundry about the business when he was set to commentate. As a result, he was removed from the position.
Last Monday, Graves took to X and said the following: "Imagine chasing your dream. Then being TOLD (not deciding) that you’re no longer physically able to pursue your dream. Then you dedicate your life to something "dream adjacent" and being pretty fucking awesome at it. And then, when it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, being told you’re not famous enough for your own job. Just in case you’ve wondered where I’ve been."
Then on Tuesday morning, Graves tweeted out that he would be on NXT and have a lot to say and not to miss the show.
Fightful Select notes a WWE higher-up said to the publication that while commentary teams do often change, Michael Cole and Graves did remain consistent. This same source expressed surprise that Graves was moved to NXT television and said they predict he would end up back on Raw or SmackDown by this spring. Graves has received significant praise within WWE for his flexibility to adapt to the different roles and changing schedules in the company.
Fightful Select concluded by noting per multiple sources, Graves’s frustration with being sent to NXT is indeed legitimate and that several NXT talent and sources on the production side of things were actually not aware of Graves being moved to NXT. Many staff were also surprised to see him at the New Year’s Evil special back on 7 January, thinking he was doing commentary due to being in Orlando that day.
As the year 2025 began, WWE made makeshift changes to their television programming. SmackDown shifted to a three-hour format, bringing an extra hour of excitement. On the other hand, RAW made it's monumental move to Netflix. In doing so, WWE changed their commentary desks on both shows.
There had been speculations that Corey Graves' outburst was part of a WWE storyline. However, a new report by Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter clarified the situation. A WWE higher confirmed to him that Corey Graves' situation was very much real.
Meltzer further stated that the WWE regime was not happy with the events that unfolded and the attention the presentation of the media gave it. His sources added that the company wants the Graves situation to blow over unless they decide to make it a storyline that has not been done with an on-air WWE talent.
Corey Graves has not been seen on WWE television programming since the incident except for the one-night stint on the commentary desk at WWE NXT a week before. Moreover, there has been no statement released by either Graves or WWE in regard to the matter. With the situation getting messier than expected, there is a huge possibility that Corey Graves might be on the verge of exiting the company.
Jonathan Coachman hasn't been with WWE for some time but he has plenty of history with the company as a broadcaster and knows how things tend to operate. Speaking on "Busted Open Radio," Coachman shared his thoughts on the recent issues between Graves and WWE.
"I do believe that he's upset, and privately he has a right to be, but publicly you do the shows that they tell you to do," Coachman said. "To make the amount of money — and I guarantee you they did not cut his paycheck — that he's making at WWE, that is one of the cherry jobs in all of pro wrestling. I feel bad for him, but this is the big boy business."
The former WWE commentator offered some perspective on the situation, noting that moving the commentary both has been a normal thing for decades.
"So Corey is upset for being bumped from the main announce roster. Happened to JR [Jim Ross] 5 times. Happened to Cole multiple times. Happened to me multiple times," Coachman wrote. "He is right he is really good at his job. But playing in the sandbox a little bit better might not hurt next time. Embrace whatever role you have and understand that you are lucky to have it. There are only 3-5 of these jobs at the highest level. Who knows maybe they asked him to be a part of a 3 man booth. We know he doesn’t like that. lol. Sorry had to. Last line a joke. The rest it’s the wrestling business. It happens."
WWE is now owned by TKO and the company is inevitably going to make whatever decision is best for business. While it wouldn't have been out of line for Graves to have a private conversation with Paul "Triple H" Levesque about his issues, Coachman believes that Graves crossed a line when he took things public.
Graves' social media posts seemed to take aim at Pat McAfee, with Graves stating that he "wasn't famous enough" to keep his position on "Raw." Coachman noted that we've already seen that McAfee will return to "College GameDay" during the football season, which would still allow Graves to occupy some time on the main roster throughout the year. However, it's no longer clear if Graves will remain with WWE going forward.
WWE Hall Of Famer, Bubba Ray Dudley, weighed in on the conflict between Graves and WWE. "You are hired as an announcer alright. We have three shows, you as an announcer are hired to be put on any of those shows we want. End of story. Same thing with the talent. Yeah, you might be on "Raw" one night, you might be on "SmackDown" the next night, there's a chance you're gonna be on "NXT." Again, if I were to look at it that way, then I would have to say that half my career was a demotion ... a demotion is when they ask you to take less money."
Bubba explained that a true demotion to him was losing championships, not being involved in primary storylines and working dark matches. He also referred to D-Von Dudley and himself leaving WWE in 2005, explaining that the company asked talent to take less money due to financial issues, and after working there for six years, they felt they were being unfairly demoted. It remains to be seen if Graves will return to "NXT," or if WWE will choose to leave him off television for the time being.
I must side with Corey Graves. It's unfair to be bumped 'down' just because of the new kid on the block. That person should start from the lowest level and work their way up the coporate ladder. I wouldn't go as far as to reveal secrets but I would take a stand.
In the times that I do watch wrestling, I always look forward to his commentary. Not having him around will be weird and seem odd.