Corey Graves Apologizes For Mauro Ranallo Comments
Corey Graves opened this week's WWE After The Bell podcast with an apology for the comments he made about Mauro Ranallo on Twitter over the weekend.
"What's up, everybody? Welcome to After The Bell, I am Corey Graves," he said, opening the show. "A ton to get to this week as we do every week but before we go any further, on a personal note, I needed to address something. This past Saturday, during the 'Takeover: WarGames' event, I sent out a tweet. It was an unpopular opinion, as I often do with the intention of just stirring up a little controversy, maybe have something fun to talk about on TV or here on the show. It was maybe not the most professional way to go about things, and it was never meant to offend or disrespect or disparage anybody. That was never my intention. If it was taken as such, I apologize deeply. That was not my intention. I would never intentionally cause anybody undue stress, especially a co-worker. So, I apologize."
Graves revealed that he watched Takeover and tweeted from his hotel room.
You can click here to read the latest on what happened with Mauro over the weekend. Michael Cole noted on commentary that Mauro missed Survivor Series because he blew his voice out at Takeover, due to how excited and passionate he was. It was said that Mauro would be back for NXT TV this week, but late last night it was revealed that Mauro would not be working the show from the NXT Arena at Full Sail University.
For those who missed it, Graves took to Twitter on Saturday night and referenced how Mauro was talking over Nigel McGuinness and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix during "Takeover: WarGames 2019" commentary, something some fans were also saying on Twitter.
He wrote, "Just for the record guys, I know you wouldn't know it, but there's actually a WWE Hall of Famer AND a former Ring of Honor Champion on commentary. I'd imagine they have a lot to offer. #NXTTakeoverWarGames"
Another fan tweeted on the number of Chicago hip-hop references Mauro made during the show. Graves wrote back, "Far, far too many."
You can see the full podcast below, along with the original tweets from Graves, which are still live on Twitter:
Just for the record guys, I know you wouldn't know it, but there's actually a WWE Hall of Famer AND a former Ring of Honor Champion on commentary.
I'd imagine they have a lot to offer.
?????#NXTTakeoverWarGames
? Corey Graves (@WWEGraves) November 24, 2019
Far, far too many.
? Corey Graves (@WWEGraves) November 24, 2019