Corey Graves explains why he took getting moved off of WWE SmackDown personally.
In April 2021, Pat McAfee joined the WWE SmackDown commentary. Alongside his jump to the blue brand, SmackDown commentator Corey Graves was shifted to RAW.
Speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, Corey Graves was asked whether he was okay moving to RAW when Pat McAfee joined SmackDown. He admitted that he took it personally, as he felt that he had paid his dues. Graves also made it clear that he did not have an issue with McAfee himself.
“Yeah, so believe it or not, I’m blowing up my own stuff here,” Corey Graves said. “I think the world of Pat. He again is such a strong persona, it’s easy for me to play off of and rib him and get under his skin. I was a little upset professionally that I found out, like, ‘Hey, you’re going from Friday Night SmackDown on FOX, the network show that you kicked off with Michael Cole.’ I took it a little personally.
“Not because of Pat, but it was like, I’ve paid my dues here. I’m the guy that shows up week after week. I’m the guy that did both Raw and SmackDown for two years straight, never complained, and this is how you do me?”
Corey Graves: We’re All Better For Pat McAfee’s Move To SmackDown
Corey Graves continued by describing how his wife, Carmella, and Michael Cole helped talk him through the situation. He stated that, in hindsight, he believes they’re all better for McAfee’s move to SmackDown.
“I remember I was talking to my wife and just going, this isn’t right. I have to do something about this. This isn’t fair. I really took it hard,” Corey Graves said. “Again, had nothing to do with Pat being Pat. It was just sort of a professional issue, and she talked me off a ledge.
” I had a few conversations with Cole, and Michael Cole is my boss-slash-therapist. He talked me off the ledge as well. Looking back, it’s business. Sometimes, you gotta do the stuff you don’t wanna do so you can do the stuff that you do. It was a shock that I didn’t see coming, but I dealt with it. We’re all better off for it, I think.”
in September 2022, McAfee left SmackDown when he joined ESPN College GameDay. He has since made a few one-off appearances for WWE. Meanwhile, Graves now calls the action on WWE SmackDown again; he returned to the brand in August 2023.
The full interview can be seen below;
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