WWE star blasts bosses after being demoted for ‘not being famous enough’

Corey Graves (right) appears furious about his WWE position (Picture: WWE)

WWE star Corey Graves has posted an astonishing rant after being removed from commentary around the Raw on Netflix premiere.

The 40-year-old commentator, who was a wrestler for 14 years before being forced to retire in 2014 due to concussion issues, had been calling the action on SmackDown with Michael Cole in recent months.

However, with veteran broadcaster Cole now reunited with Pat McAfee on Raw, former red brand duo Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett are calling the action on SmackDown.

Addressing his absence from Raw or SmackDown, Graves wrote on X: ‘Imagine chasing your dream. Then being TOLD (not deciding) that you’re no longer physically able to pursue your dream.

‘Then you dedicate your life to something “dream adjacent” and being pretty f**king awesome at it.

‘And then, when it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, being told you’re not famous enough for your own job. Just in case you’ve wondered where I’ve been.’

He insisted he was demoted for not being ‘famous enough’ (Picture: X/WWEGraves)

Pat McAfee has returned to commentary, leaving Graves in the lurch (Picture: Ric Tapia/Getty Images)

Instead of making up a three-man booth on either brand, Graves has appeared on developmental show NXT alongside Vic Joseph and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.

During his wrestling career on NXT, Graves feuded with the likes of Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt and more, even holding the NXT Tag Team Titles alongside Adrian Neville.

Last month, he marked a decade since being told he had to retire from in-ring action and move into commentary.

’10 years. I still miss it every day,’ he wrote on X. ‘There was no “backup plan.” Not bad for an audible. Thanks to everyone for taking the taking with me.’

A similar situation occurred in 2021 when Graves was taken off SmackDown and shifted to Raw to allow McAfee to team up with Cole.

‘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,’ he said on The Kurt Angle Show a couple of years later.

Michael Cole is back on Raw (Picture: WWE)

‘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.’

McAfee has been reunited with Cole in a case of deja vu for Graves (Picture: WWE)

He told his wife, WWE superstar Carmella, that is wasn’t ‘fair’, but she was able to talk him ‘off the ledge’.

‘I really took it hard. It had nothing to do with Pat being Pat, it was just the professional issue. She talked me off the ledge, I had a few conversations with Cole,’ he recalled.

‘Michael Cole is my boss/therapist, he talked me off a ledge as well. Looking back, it’s business. Sometimes you have to do the stuff you don’t want to do so you can do the stuff you do.’

Netflix is the new home of WWE in the UK.

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