Highlights

• Corey Graves transitioned from being an in-ring performer to a commentator, which helped him deal with the loss of his wrestling career.
• He was medically cleared a few years ago to perform in the ring again and is open to a one-time opportunity like what Pat McAfee did.
• Corey Graves was a highly skilled wrestler in NXT and had notable rivalries with top names, showing that WWE fans deserve to see his in-ring talent again.

WWE commentator Corey Graves has had a great last few years. Not only he is one of the voices of WWE, but he married former women's champion Carmella and welcomed a baby to the world with her recently. There was a time, however, when Graves' days in the wrestling world looked numbered. He was one of the bigger stars of NXT in the 2010s, but a series of concussions forced him into retirement in 2014 at just the age of 30. Luckily, WWE saw his talent, and Triple H offered him a commentator role. He worked with NXT, before joining the main roster, where he has called matches on both Raw and SmackDown. But what about his own matches? Could Corey Graves ever wrestle again?

Speaking with Steelers Takeaways, Graves talked about the possibility of a return to a WWE ring. He said:

“The transition in a weird way saved me from what could have been. Instead of grieving over the loss of my dream as an in-ring performer, it gave me something new to focus my energy on while staying in the business. I found a new mountain to climb. In hindsight it really helped me deal with that loss.

“I have a clean bill of health now, thanks. I actually got medically cleared a couple of years ago to perform in the ring again. I flirted with the idea and am waiting for a potential opportunity if it presents itself. More of a one-time ting like McAfee has done – not as a full-time in-ring performer.”

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Will Corey Graves Ever Wrestle In WWE Again?

If WWE and Corey Graves are waiting for the perfect chance to put him in the ring again, the opportunity is right there in a name he mentioned in the interview. Pat McAfee has worked for WWE as both a commentator and part-time wrestler. On screen, Graves' character can't stand McAfee. That rivalry sets up a perfect feud of commentator vs. commentator, perhaps on the biggest stage of all, WrestleMania.

Casual or newer fans might not remember just how good Corey Graves was in the ring. He seemed destined to be an NXT and main roster WWE champion. He wrestled for many years in the indies, facing off against the likes of CM Punk, AJ Styles, and Petey Williams. Graves joined NXT in 2011 and had a rivalry with Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, and Sami Zayn. He was even an NXT Tag Team Champion with Adrian Neville (Pac). While concussions ended one part of his career, it opened him up to become a commentator, which he has excelled at, despite the criticism he sometimes receives. Whether it be against Pat McAfee or someone else, WWE fans deserve to see just how good Corey Graves was in the ring. And we deserve to hear that awesome "Christcontrol" theme song again too.