After blasting WWE for demoting him, Corey Graves gives NXT a miss

All is not well between WWE and one of its ringside commentators, Corey Graves, as the latter gave the latest episode of NXT a miss. Graves, who was moved from SmackDown to the NXT commentary team along with Vic Joseph and Booker T, did not show up for the latest episode of NXT on January 14.

CREDIT: WWE

'I have a lot to say'

This is despite Graves posting on social media earlier in the day, telling his followers not to miss NXT as he had a lot to say.

I¡¯ve got a lot to say.

Don¡¯t miss #WWENXT tonight on @TheCW
TONIGHT.

? ?

¡ª Corey Graves (@WWEGraves) January 14, 2025

Graves blast WWE

Earlier, Graves had publicly vented his frustration about being demoted by WWE.

According to the 40-year-old, he was demoted from SmackDown to NXT for "not being famous enough."

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 fucking awesome at it.

And then, when it¡¯s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor,¡­

¡ª Corey Graves (@WWEGraves) January 14, 2025

How Graves became a commentator

Graves, who has been a professional wrestler since 2000, has been with WWE since 2012 as part of NXT. However, his wrestling career was cut short due to an injury, and Graves transitioned into the role of a commentator on NXT in 2017. He was moved to Raw and later to SmackDown as a commentator, where he made his final appearance last week.

CREDIT: WWE

Work or shoot?

Following Graves's absence from NXT, several insiders have claimed that he was genuinely frustrated by the move and that it was not staged as part of any wrestling angle.

Wrestling Observer¡¯s Dave Meltzer tweeted that ¡°people close to the situation¡± are telling him Graves¡¯ situation is ¡°not a work.¡±

Former WWE commentator Jonathan Coachman also ruled out the episode being a work.

He physically can¡¯t wrestle. It sucks it¡¯s no fault of his own. That¡¯s the caveat to all of you that are saying that. I could understand if he wanted to go from the announce table and then become a full-time worker, but he was hurt a long time ago and he cannot get into the ring.¡­ https://t.co/yp6N1h9A1o

¡ª The Coach (@Thecoachrules) January 14, 2025

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