After being attacked by Brock Lesnar on Friday Night SmackDown, WWE commentator Corey Graves — who has been retired from in-ring action for years — may be on the mend for a return to the squared circle.
Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp reports Graves has been cleared for an in-ring return. Now, it remains unclear if he plans on having full-length matches or if he will continue taking bumps as a commentator.
“Corey Graves took his first bump on TV in years, an F5 from Brock Lesnar,” Sapp wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “He got cleared for an in-ring return from career-ending concussion issues a few years back.”
Corey Graves was attacked by Brock Lesnar on WWE SmackDown
Speculation over Graves' in-ring status arose after his recent segment with Lesnar on SmackDown. Lesnar was going to attack Graves' commentating partner, Michael Cole, carrying him around the ring.
As he held Cole by the neck, Graves entered the ring. He begged Lesnar to let Cole go. Lesnar then turned his attention to Graves, hitting him with two F5s for his troubles.
This was notable, as these were the first bumps Graves had taken in years. He had a string of concussions when he was a wrestler that caused him to be put on the shelf.
Starting in 2014, Graves began his analyst/commentator role. He started as a commentator for NXT. Throughout the following years, he would jump everywhere, from Monday Night RAW to SmackDown to NXT. Graves was a key utility piece for their commentary teams.
In January 2025, he was demoted from the main roster to NXT. He would eventually fill in for Pat McAfee following the former Indianapolis Colts punter's hiatus.
When he was first demoted, Graves took to social media to express his frustration. It sounded like it was not his choice to go down to NXT, and he was not happy about it.
“Imagine chasing your dream. Then being TOLD (not deciding) that you're no longer physically able to pursue your dream,” Graves began. “Then you dedicate your life to something ‘dream adjacent' and being pretty f*****g 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,” he concluded.
