A former WWE superstar could be back in the fold after some optimistic news years in the making. Corey Graves has spent so long behind the commentary table in recent years, I’d wager there might be some who forgot he once was considered an up-and-coming athlete for NXT. Now, he’s received some great news on the medical front, and it’s looking possible he could make a return to the ring for the company.
According to Fightful (via Wrestlingnews.co), Corey Graves was recently medically cleared to return to wrestling. Graves was a notable wrestler in the NXT fold and wrestled alongside current roster talent like Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins as far back as 2012. Unfortunately, Graves ultimately retired from wrestling due to concussion issues in December of 2014 and began working for WWE on their commentary team. But things sound like they're looking up as far as reversing that retirement status goes.
Corey Graves started out on NXT’s commentary team shortly after his retirement at the end of 2014 and quickly gained momentum as a fan-favorite commentator on the show. Monday Night Raw welcomed Graves on as a commentator following the 2016 WWE draft, and he later also joined SmackDown. Currently, he’s still on the Raw commentary team and provides heel color commentary alongside Byron Saxton and Jimmy Smith.
Right now, it’s unknown whether or not Corey Graves wanted to return to wrestling for some time, or if this is just a recent decision. The latter might indicate the WWE plans to use Graves for the Royal Rumble and possibly even work him back into the roster afterward. For now, all that is confirmed is that Graves received medical clearance to compete and that he could wrestle if need be, and the rest is hopeful speculation.
An appearance at the Royal Rumble would likely be the ceiling for Corey Graves’ potential return. This could also be a way for Graves to continue participating in the ongoing 24/7 Championship sketches, considering he briefly held the title in November of 2021. This also might just be a way to use Graves as a way of getting a heel over, should a wrestler become upset and decide to put Graves through a table.
One thing we can say is that comebacks like this in the wrestling world are not unheard of, as evidenced by Edge. He'd retired from professional wrestling in 2011 after tests from doctors revealed he risked potential paralysis with further injury. Things changed in 2020 when Edge returned to the ring with full medical clearance and an ability to compete as a member of the roster. Comebacks like these do happen, so it’s not hard to believe Corey Graves has a wrestling comeback in the works.
As for what Graves wants, the answer might be in this recent tweet in which he seemingly referred to his past working as a wrestler in indie organizations.
For years, I made this exact same drive, several times a month.Philly to Pittsburgh, beat up, barely $50 richer, with a head full of big dreams.I miss dreaming.January 11, 2022
If Corey Graves wants to return to wrestling, hopefully, the WWE will grant him that opportunity. It will be interesting to see how fans react, however, considering his years spent on commentary. He’ll no doubt have some “ring rust” to shake off, and even then, he’ll likely face an uphill battle behind the scenes and with fans to re-establish himself as an in-ring talent.
For now, Corey Graves remains a part of Monday Night Raw, which airs Monday nights on USA at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in to see any clues Graves may return to the ring and what that could mean for the rest of the roster.
