Back in 2014, Corey Graves was forced to retire from wrestling due to a severe history with concussions that robbed WWE of a great talent in the ring and on the microphone. Many people questioned if his career in WWE was completely over , but his skill with a microphone gave him the ability to transition into being one of the best announcers in WWE.
Graves gets a lot of support from the NXT and WWE Universe for his enthusiasm on commentary and his ability to tell a story in a way that not many WWE announcers have been able to master. He’s only been a WWE commentator for roughly two years, so his proficiency at it is very impressive. In many ways, Corey Graves has already become the “Voice of NXT.”
However, tonight’s WWE Draft could change everything for Corey Graves. According to the WWE Draft rules that were released on WWE.com , there will be six draft picks made from NXT during tonight’s WWE Draft. Over the past few months, there has been a lot of speculation about Graves moving to SmackDown, but now those rumors are expected to become reality tonight.
Corey Graves is the perfect fit for NXT because he was an NXT superstar in WWE’s developmental system. There aren’t many who have had their dream of making it to WWE taken from them by bad luck only to take that passion and bend it into a new niche. Graves has not only done that, but he’s arguably become the best announcer in WWE.
It makes sense for the best announcers to be doing their jobs on the bigger stages of WWE. The WWE Draft rules don’t specify that the draft picks from NXT will only be in-ring performers. If Shane McMahon is going to spice things up and bring Graves to SmackDown, he’ll have the best announce table in the game with Graves calling the action alongside Mauro Ranallo.
Back in June, the rumor about Corey Graves really picked up some steam when Jerry “The King” Lawler was suspended for domestic abuse issues. It wasn’t long before the charges were dropped and Lawler was brought back to WWE television, but there was a lot of speculation that Graves would replace him at the SmackDown announce desk once the brand split was official.
The WWE Draft is tonight, and the rumors are still circling Corey Graves’ potential move to SmackDown. According to a report from Daily Wrestling News , there are some people within WWE pushing for Graves to get a main roster position as soon as possible. Since WWE is going to be shaking up the entire landscape of WWE, now is as good a time as any for a change.
It would be easy for Corey Graves to “stay down” in NXT and continue the great work he is going for the brand. However, Shane McMahon has said on WWE programming that he wants new, fresh, and exciting. There is no question that Graves is the only one who can bring all those elements to SmackDown live.
There are just a few issues that need to be addressed if Graves is transitioning to the main roster along with five other NXT talents tonight. What are WWE officials planning to do with Bryon Saxton and Jerry Lawler? Saxton will still be announcing on Raw, plus he could potentially take over for Graves in NXT. WWE will need a replacement for NXT as well.
However, Jerry Lawler has been at the WWE announce desk for twenty-five years. WWE may look at this as an opportunity to diminish Lawler’s role on WWE programming a little more after his recent legal troubles. The charges were dropped, but it’s still bad for WWE’s image. It may be the right time to let someone new take the reigns from the WWE Hall of Famer.
It would be the right time for Corey Graves to bring his unique brand of excitement and heel antics to SmackDown as the foil to Ranallo. NXT would miss Graves, but NXT is meant to develop more than just wrestlers for the squared circle. They need storytellers, and Corey Graves is one of the best in WWE. Now, we just need to see if WWE will pull the trigger on the move.
[Image via WWE.com]