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Corey Graves Slams WWE With Social Post After Move Back To NXT Commentary

Long time WWE commentator Corey Graves says he's 'not famous enough' to be on Raw or SmackDown anymore.

Rick Ucchino

Corey Graves sounds off on social media
Corey Graves sounds off on social media / WWE.co

It was a little over a week ago when WWE Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque lauded pro wrestling's ability to blur the lines of reality. The sport always thrives best when it's difficult to differentiate between the 'work' and the 'shoot'.

With all that said, Corey Graves sounds incredibly frustrated with his current position in WWE.

The company's move to Netflix resulted in a shake-up of the Raw and SmackDown commentary teams.

It was announced ahead of the college football season that Pat McAfee would return from his fall hiatus, which he took due to his gig on ESPN College Gameday, on January 6 and would join Michael Cole on Monday nights. It was expected then that Corey Graves would remain on Friday's to be apart of a three man booth with Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett.

Graves was indeed part of a three man booth last week, but it wasn't on SmackDown. After nine years doing main roster commentary, Corey was back on NXT with Vic Joseph and Booker T - and he did not look pleased to be there. Late last night, about an hour after Raw went off the air, Graves took to social media to post a message for fans... perhaps even more so for the decision makers in WWE.

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.

- Corey Graves on X

Corey Graves signed with WWE back in 2011 and was a promising prospect on the NXT brand before a problem with concussions pushed him into an early in-ring retirement. Something Graves suggested in the post above was not his call.

In 2022, Graves confirmed to Chris Van Vliet that he was medically cleared to wrestle again, but said that he had genuinely grown to love doing commentary.

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The 'famous enough' line from his message on social media seems to be a shot a Pat McAfee, but it's possible we're reading too much into that. Then again, Graves has always played it off as though he has genuine disdain for his fellow commentator/part-time pro wrestler.

Early Tuesday morning, Graves followed up on his tweet from the night before, writing:

I’ve got a lot to say.

Don’t miss #WWENXT tonight on
@TheCW

TONIGHT.

🎤 🔥

Could this all be an elaborate set up for Graves' return to the ring? Maybe even a match with Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 41? Is it a work or shoot? Hard to say right now, but it's something to watch.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino has been covering professional wrestling since 2019, but his broadcast career has spanned over 15 years. He can be heard every weekday morning on 700WLW radio in Cincinnati, OH. You can also read his work over on SI's Cincinnati Reds Talk. Follow Rick on X and Instagram: @RickUcchino

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