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Corey Graves has denied speculation that he plans to come out of retirement in the 2022 WWE Men’s Royal Rumble match on January 29.
Graves wrestled between 2000 and 2014 before retiring from in-ring competition due to concussion issues. According to a recent Fightful Select report, the RAW commentator has been medically cleared to compete and is no longer on WWE’s “no-contact” list.
This development prompted talk online that Graves could return to the ring in the upcoming Royal Rumble match. However, the man himself dismissed the rumors on his After The Bell podcast.
“I am not entering the Royal Rumble," said Graves. "That’s what happens when you read too much on the internet." [50:10-50:25]
Graves pinned Akira Tozawa on the November 8, 2021 episode of WWE RAW to win the 24/7 Championship, which he quickly lost to Byron Saxton. Four days after the ringside segment, the former NXT star hinted on Twitter that he wants to wrestle again.
Is Corey Graves trying to swerve WWE fans?
Royal Rumble participants have been known to deny rumors about their entry into the match in the past. In 2019, for example, Edge claimed on Twitter ahead of his 2020 return that speculation about his participation in the bout was false.
Veteran wrestling journalist Bill Apter spoke on a recent episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling’s Smack Talk about Corey Graves’ situation. He predicted that the WWE announcer’s return to the ring will begin with another incident at ringside.
"He's going to have an altercation probably with one of the wrestlers when he's broadcasting, and I don't know who it is but that's gonna bring him back into the ring," said Apter.
Before announcing his retirement, Graves performed in WWE’s FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) and NXT developmental systems between 2011 and 2014. The 37-year-old once held the NXT Tag Team Championship with Adrian Neville, now known as PAC in AEW.
Please credit After The Bell and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use quotes from this article.
