Just a week after his emotional social media rant, WWE announcer Corey Graves made his return to NXT.
PWInsider reported his return before the show went on the air. Graves was reportedly “booked late” on January 20, 2025, to return to WWE NXT.
When the show started, Graves said that he was “right where I want to be, where passion is everything and only the hungry survive.”
Despite his heated comments, he seemed to take it in stride. It was great to see him back at work and doing what he loves. We will have to wait and see if WWE decides to keep him on NXT or not.
WWE announcer Corey Graves' rant and return

Before coming back during the January 21, 2025, episode of WWE NXT, Graves aired his frustrations with his role in the company in a now-deleted post on January 14. He was seemingly upset over being moved to NXT after spending nearly eight years on the main roster.
The switch came as Pat McAfee made his return to WWE Monday Night RAW as it moved to Netflix. He usually takes a break from his WWE commentating responsibilities during the football season due to his obligations with ESPN College GameDay.
Once he returned, Graves was moved off of RAW. However, SmackDown's announcer duo got a shake-up as well. Wade Barrett was paired with Joe Tessitore (who recently signed with WWE) to serve as SmackDown's announcer duo.
This meant that Graves had to move to NXT, the WWE's developmental brand. He indicated in his post that he was demoted in favor of someone more “famous.”
“Imagine chasing your dream. Then being TOLD (not deciding) that you're no longer physically able to pursue your dream,” Graves began in his post. “Then you dedicate your life to something ‘dream adjacent' and being pretty f**king awesome at it. And then, when it's time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, being told you're not famous enough for your own job.
“Just in case you've wondered where I've been,” Graves concluded.
His wrestling career
Graves made his wrestling debut in 2000 under the ring name Sterling James Keenan. He wrestled on the independent circuit for years before joining WWE.
He made several appearances in WWE as a jobber beginning in 2006. Graves later signed with the company in 2011, joining their developmental br,and Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), which later became NXT.
During his NXT tenure as a wrestler, Graves got to wrestle big names like Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, and the Wyatt Family. However, he suffered several concussions during this period, resulting in him retiring from in-ring competition.
As a result, he began working as a panelist for WWE during their pre-show events. Graves made his return at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution in December 2014. He also hosted Culture Shock, a WWE Network original series. Graves left NXT after the TakeOver event in San Antonio.
He was later moved to RAW to join the commentary team with Michael Cole and Byron Saxton. Graves did not look back after his main roster promotion, jumping between RAW and SmackDown for years.