Corey Graves Gets Physical on WWE SmackDown

WWE SmackDown, the night before Wrestlepalooza, the WWE Universe saw something they thought they would never see again. During a segment between Brock Lesnar and Michael Cole, where “The Beast” was threatening to brutalize the legendary voice of the WWE, his long-time friend and commentary partner Corey Graves would come to help.

Unfortunately for Graves, he got more than he bargained for. An irate Lesnar would hoist up Corey Graves on his shoulder and hit him with a devastating F5. This is significant for a number of reasons. Graves was a hot, young prospect when he joined WWE’s developmental system in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) in 2011.

Graves would make his big-time debut on WWE NXT on January 2, 2013. The future was looking bright for Corey Graves, with him and Adrian Neville capturing the NXT Tag Team Championship from The Wyatt Family in July that year. However, fate would change his career forever. Graves would suffer two major concussions, forcing him to retire.

Corey then proceeded to take on a different role, rising through the ranks from a pre-show panelist to one of the most respected commentators on all three brands.