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Corey Graves was forced to retire from wrestling but found a whole new career in the commentary booth. Almost eight years after joining the main roster, he made a surprising admission after the Royal Rumble show.
Corey Graves has been a key figure in WWE commentary, only second in the hierarchy to Michael Cole - a veteran of over two decades. While several commentators have come and gone, Graves has been a mainstay in WWE and has switched between RAW and SmackDown while also doing both shows for a while.
There had been some known tensions between Corey Graves and ex-SmackDown commentator Pat McAfee for a while, which is why it was a bit surprising when he said that nobody enjoys doing commentary with McAfee as much as he does:
Michael Cole also credited Pat McAfee a few years ago with reinvigorating his passion for commentary. It had been rumored previously that Cole was looking to switch roles from being on-screen to being exclusively behind the scenes, but that doesn't appear to be the case anymore.
Corey Graves admitted to being frustrated with Pat McAfee replacing him on SmackDown
As for the issue between Corey Graves and Pat McAfee, it wasn't a grudge, with Graves stating that he didn't blame McAfee, but was angry about being replaced on SmackDown.
On The Kurt Angle Show, Graves admitted to being frustrated when he was replaced by Pat McAfee on SmackDown:
"Believe it or not, I'm blowing up my own stuff here. I think the world of Pat. He is such a strong persona, it is easy for me to play off of, rib him, and get under his skin. I was a little upset, professionally, that I found out, you're going from Friday Night SmackDown on FOX, the network show that you've kicked off with Michael Cole, I took it a little personally. Not because Pat, but I've paid my dues here. I'm the guy who shows up week after week, I'm the guy who did both Raw and SmackDown for two years straight, never complained, and this is how you do me." said Graves [H/T: Fightful]
It's good to know that there aren't any issues from his side anymore and that they seem to get along just fine.
What are your views on Corey Graves' commentary? Tell us in the comment section.
