The New Yr’s Evil version of “WWE NXT” noticed various high-profile moments, however one which caught everybody off-guard was the shock look of Corey Graves, as he joined Vic Joseph and Booker T on commentary. WWE have been shuffling their broadcast groups round lots as of late attributable to “WWE Uncooked” and “WWE SmackDown” transitioning between completely different networks and streaming providers, however in line with Dave Meltzer on “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Graves showing on “NXT” was not a one-time deal.
“Yep, he will be off [the main roster] till soccer season, then he’ll come again,” Meltzer mentioned. “He was one of the best shade man that that they had, I imply he was one of the best, and now he is in ‘NXT’ as a substitute of on Netflix. Look, they’re at all times going to go along with Pat McAfee as a result of these guys are into star energy, and man, McAfee’s change into an enormous star within the sports activities world so that they’re at all times going to go along with him. The selection of Wade Barrett over Corey Graves, and Wade Barrett’s actually good, nevertheless it was an attention-grabbing selection, and that was the selection they made.”
Graves had been the play-by-play commentator on “SmackDown” since August 2023, and has been a staple of WWE’s broadcast staff for over a decade after being pressured to retire from in-ring motion attributable to concussion points. His new tenure in “NXT” would be the first time he calls motion on WWE’s third model persistently since 2017, and with him now sitting alongside Joseph and Booker on Tuesdays, Barrett and Joe Tessitore will name the motion on “SmackDown,” whereas Michael Cole and McAfee stay because the two-man sales space on “Uncooked”
Please credit score “Wrestling Observer Radio” when utilizing quotes from this text, and provides a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
