Major update on the in-ring future of Corey Graves in WWE - reports
According to a report from Fightful Select, WWE Monday Night RAW announcer Corey Graves may have been cleared to return to in-ring action after years of retirement.
Graves began his wrestling career in 2000, under the name Sterling James Keenan. However, after a number of concussions, he was forced to retire in 2014. WWE brought him back on board as an announcer, first on NXT and then on the main roster shows. Since then, he has been a prominent voice on both RAW and SmackDown, including commentating on both shows each week at one point.
Corey Graves may have been cleared for a while
According to the report, Fightful's sources tell the site that Corey Graves may have been cleared by doctors in 2020. The "Savior of Misbehavior" had previously been put on an internal "no contact" list within the company. However, his victory of the 24/7 Championship over Akira Tozawa in November 2021 seemingly indicated that he could no longer be on said list.
Back in November, Graves also took to Twitter to express his longing for a return to the ring.
The response was overwhelmingly positive, from both fans as well as fellow WWE stars, including Graves' fellow NXT alumni, Damian Priest.
Since Graves left the squared circle for the commentary booth, a number of major stars have returned from retirement. Edge, Christian and Bryan Danielson all overcame major medical issues, with Danielson (as Daniel Bryan) even winning the WWE Championship once after returning.
If this is true and Graves is cleared to compete once more, could fans see him in the Royal Rumble match later this month? Would he want to return to action full-time or would he keep his current announcer role and simply wrestle occasionally? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.