WWE announcer Corey Graves has been absent from WWE TV following social media posts where he expressed frustration over being demoted from Raw to the NXT broadcast team. He later deleted the posts on X. Dave Meltzer discussed the situation on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.
Meltzer reported that those he’s spoken with in WWE believe the situation with Graves “is not an angle,” and that Graves “hasn’t been fired yet.” He speculated that Graves deleted his posts either because he had a change of heart or because WWE requested him to do so, possibly with consequences if he refused. Meltzer noted, “The fact that he took down his tweets suggests he may have either had a change of heart or they told him, ‘You better take down your tweets, or else.’”
The issues with Graves are believed to stem from plans made last fall. WWE originally planned for Michael Cole and Pat McAfee to lead the broadcast team on Raw in January, with Joe Tessitore moving from Raw to SmackDown. Graves was expected to join Tessitore on SmackDown starting in January, but about two weeks ago, Meltzer reported that WWE was uncertain about the announce team. Graves later learned that Wade Barrett would replace him on SmackDown, which left Graves “genuinely not happy.”
Meltzer also suggested that Graves may have been “trying to get fired” with his social media comments. If this is the case, Meltzer speculated that WWE might not release him, as they wouldn’t want Graves joining AEW.
It remains unclear if WWE has suspended Graves. He was pulled from the NXT taping last Tuesday, and was seen leaving Orlando ahead of the event. Graves reportedly signed a new multi-year contract with WWE in January 2024.
