In the earliest days of post-game show NXT, Corey Graves was one of the rising talents of the promotion. He had the look of a young CM Punk (complete with knuckle tattoos) and a brawler move set that made him stand out from other competitors. Unfortunately, a sudden injury forced him to retire before he had even begun, making the announcement on the pre-show of NXT TakeOver: R-Evolution. Sitting next to him was Renee Young, the same person who was a guest on his After The Bell podcast this week.
In a clip from the show, the two announcers traded memories of their NXT days, saying that it feels like it was a decade ago despite it being only five years and change. In particular, Corey remembers a forgotten best-of episode of the show where he and Renee handed out awards at the end of the year. It was his first appearance on camera, and he says that you can see him learning how to function in his new role as he goes. Considering how he is probably the most important announcer on WWE’s main roster outside of Michael Cole nowadays, we’d say that he was a quick learner.
You can see the full podcast clip embedded below from WWE’s official YouTube channel:
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