Dave Meltzer Lays Out Full Timeline Of Corey Graves-WWE Situation

WWE commentator Corey Graves has had an unusual start to 2025, with the broadcaster being moved to "WWE NXT" and making it very evident that he wasn't very pleased about it. Writing in today's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer offered up a full timeline of events along with some additional context from sources near Graves and within WWE.

At one point last year, Graves was scheduled to begin 2025 by moving from his position on "WWE Raw" over to the "WWE SmackDown" commentary table. However, in the weeks leading up to the change, Graves was reportedly informed that Wade Barrett would call "SmackDown" alongside Joe Tessitore, with Graves being assigned to "NXT."

This led to Graves appearing annoyed during his "NXT" return before eventually firing off a series of social media posts expressing his dissatisfaction, causing many to wonder if this was all a WWE storyline. Meltzer thought the same at one point but no longer believes that to be the case.

Some within WWE believed Graves' social media posts were his attempt at getting fired by the company. However, sources close to the broadcaster claim that he was instead try to "blur the lines" and generate fan interest. As a result of his posting, despite claiming he would have a lot to say on this week's "NXT," Graves was instead told to head home rather than call Tuesday's show. Graves was also absent from Wednesday's WWE Speed stream after previously serving as the lone commentator for the web series.

Meltzer's report directly quoted one anonymous WWE source who stated that the situation with Graves was not part of a planned storyline as things unfolded. However, as always in the world of professional wrestling, there is a chance that the two sides work things out and decide to make it into one.