Corey Graves Thought Vince McMahon Was Firing Him After Backstage Blowup

Working with Vince McMahon has to be an interesting experience. The man can be a powder keg, and he is always a perfectionist as well. This can sometimes lead to very stern discussions, and sometimes employment is in the balance.

Corey Graves featured on The Kurt Angle Show, engaging in a discussion that covered various subjects. The conversation encompassed his WWE journey, which commenced as a wrestler and later led to a commentator role.

Corey Graves recounted an incident during his commentary duties on RAW, where he received a reprimand from Vince McMahon. This transpired due to a mistake attributed to Michael Cole. Graves, initially fearing termination, later realized that it was a jest orchestrated by McMahon.

“When you’ve got Kevin Dunn in one ear, you’ve got whoever’s producing in another ear, and nowadays, you’ve got Bruce and Triple H. But nothing rocked me like hearing the voice of Vince McMahon at any given moment. I always joke and say it’s when the voice of God comes into your ears.”

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“I remember the first time I ever got a quote-unquote, Vince. We were in Chicago. It was Christmas night. We did Monday Night Raw live. This was probably, I don’t know, 4 or 5 years ago. The Raw commentary desk was on the top of the stage by the entranceway. And we would stand up and turn around and do these reverse on cameras so that the ring and the crowd were way in the back. Yeah, it was kind of a really cool setup.

Michael Cole and I were discussing beforehand, and he said, ‘Listen, I’m going to do a welcome to Monday Night Raw. I’m going to say Happy Holidays, everybody.’ And he said, ‘Then you can say Merry Christmas. Here’s what we have on tap.’ Okay, great. We’re going to throw in some graphics. And Cole goes, ‘Welcome everyone to Monday Night Raw. Happy Holidays, everybody.’ And with the speed of lightning, the boss was on the all-call button. Which means everybody who’s listening can hear. ‘I said, ‘Merry Christmas. Not Happy Holidays.’ Meanwhile, I’m going to say, I’m getting yelled at on camera, and you look like a deer in headlights going, ‘Oh my, this is it. I’m getting fired on Christmas night.”

“I have no idea.’ And, of course, we get done with it. And then he comes on and goes, ‘Aha, that was good. Thanks, guys.’ But you never know. I mean, Kurt, you know him well enough. Sometimes, when Vince wanted to mess with you, you would never know. I was terrified. My heart skipped a few beats there, but man. And then conversely, somewhere down the line, when I write a book, one day, I’ll tell a few other stories that are a little more lighthearted but a little definitely not for public consumption. So it’s good the things that came through the headset over the years.”

WWE can be a demanding place to work, but it is also rewarding. Corey Graves knows that all too well, and he had to get good at working on the fly.

Vince McMahon is no longer leading the creative direction of WWE, so Triple H is the man in charge of changing things up when they need to be. That being said, Corey Graves was able to make it through working for Vince McMahon without losing his job.

What’s your take on Corey Graves’ story about Vince McMahon? Let us know what you think in the comments section!