Corey Graves Took It Personally When Pat McAfee Replaced Him on WWE SmackDown

Corey Graves has worked hard to make himself one of the main attractions of the main roster’s commentary team. He was replaced by Pat McAfee a couple of years ago on Smackdown and now Graves has admitted that he took it personally after the fact.

Pat McAfee was added to WWE’s broadcast team after WrestleMania 37, where he started working with Michael Cole. Prior to that, Corey Graves was the one who worked with Cole since October 2019.

While speaking on The Kurt Angle Show, Corey Graves talked about being replaced by Pat McAfee back in 2021. Graves admitted that he took it personally as he had worked on the Smackdown commentary team for almost two years but suddenly lost the position – which he had a hard time accepting.

”So believe it or not, I’m blowing up my own stuff here. I think the world of Pat (McAfee). He, again, is such a strong persona, it’s easy for me play off of and rib him and get under his skin. I was a little upset professionally, that I found out, hey, you’re going from Friday Night SmackDown on FOX, the network show that you kicked off with Michael Cole and then, I took it a little personally (when McAfee replaced me). Not because of Pat but it was sort of, I’ve paid my dues here. I’m the guy that shows up week after week. I’m the guy that did both Raw and SmackDown for two years straight, never complained and this is how you do me?

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And again, I remember I was talking to my wife and just going, ‘This isn’t right. I have to do something about this. This isn’t fair.’ I really took it hard. It had nothing to do with Pat being Pat. It was just sort of a professional issue and she talked me off a ledge and I had a few conversations with Cole. Michael Cole is my boss slash therapist.“

“So he talked me off the ledge as well and looking back, it’s business. Kurt (Angle), you know better than anybody here. Sometimes you gotta do the stuff you don’t wanna do so you can do the stuff that you do… It was a shock that I didn’t see coming but, you know what? I dealt with it. We’re all better off for it I think.”

Graves is currently a member of the Friday Night SmackDown broadcast team with Kevin Patrick and Michael Cole. Pat McAfee hasn’t been seen on WWE television in a while, so it is not known when he will be back as part of the Smackdown commentary team.

What do you think of what Corey Graves said? Are you shocked Graves took it personally when Pat McAfee replaced him on Friday Night Smackdown? Sound off in the comments below!