WWE may fire ex-champion after taking huge risk to potentially capture AEW's attention, says veteran
A former champion has recently publicly voiced his displeasure with his treatment in WWE. Wrestling veteran Al Snow warned that the aforementioned star's strategy could lead to his release from the company.
Corey Graves has been part of WWE for over a decade. However, the wrestler-turned-commentator recently took to X to fire shots at the company after he was moved from SmackDown to NXT. Although Corey stated in a post that he would address the subject on the January 14 edition of the developmental brand's show, the 40-year-old was pulled from the show, sparking rumors about his future. Speaking on The Brand podcast, Al Snow addressed whether the former NXT Tag Team Champion was trying to capture the attention of AEW's Tony Khan with his social media posts.
While the wrestling veteran pointed out that he did not think that was the case, he felt that the color commentator should have directly talked with Triple H or another WWE official instead of voicing his frustrations publicly. Meanwhile, Snow warned that Graves may have taken a massive risk if his strategy was to capture Khan's attention, highlighting that AEW already had the experienced Taz in what could be the former WWE 24/7 Champion's new role if he departed the Sports Entertainment juggernaut. Snow claimed removing Taz from that spot would be hard for Tony Khan.
The veteran also warned that Graves' potential gamble could end up with him getting fired from WWE and not getting hired by AEW.
"That's an incredible roll of the dice because to a degree now if he upsets them to where they go, 'You know what? You can go away. We'll just release you. Since you're so upset, we'll release you because you embarrassed us on social media,''' he said.
The 61-year-old added:
"He's taking a risk because now he's burned the bridge with WWE, and he's still a young guy. Let's face it, he's not long in the tooth. So, he's still got a lot of years that he can be out there working. And if Tony Khan goes, 'Well, we just don't have a spot for him right now!' He's stuck." [7:34-8:16]
Check out the episode below:
WWE Hall of Famer gives advice to Corey Graves amid the ongoing drama
In a recent episode of The Wrestling Time Machine, WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long addressed Corey Graves' situation. He claimed the 40-year-old had established himself as a commentator and had nothing to prove.
The wrestling legend encouraged Graves to go to NXT and help younger co-workers as long as he was still getting paid.
"Corey Graves has to understand; sometimes these guys get in this business and they take it too seriously. What Corey Graves needs to understand, he has nothing to prove; he's already proved himself. Go to NXT. Go down there and help those guys down there that [sic] need your help. Educate them and learn them about this broadcast business. And the main thing is you're still getting a check. So what is the problem?" he said. [5:50 onwards]
Check out the episode below:
It will be interesting to see how Graves' situation resolves, and if he returns to the commentary table in the Stamford-based company in the coming weeks.
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