Jonathan Coachman Believes Corey Graves Didn’t Want Him in WWE During RAW Commentary Run

Former WWE commentator Jonathan Coachman was involved in many memorable moments during his time with the company, but he has been away from WWE for a while now. Reflecting on his return in 2018, Coachman believes that Corey Graves didn’t want him to be part of the team at that time.

Jonathan Coachman debuted in WWE back in 1999 as an interviewer, commentator, and presenter and would then become an authority figure in 2003. He would then part ways with WWE in 2008 before returning in January 2018 as a Raw commentator. However, he was replaced in September of that year, and Coachman hasn’t been seen since then.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Jonathan Coachman talked about how hard it was to be part of a three-person commentary team on WWE RAW in 2018. He felt that Corey Graves didn’t really want him there, which made things tough. Coachman explained that doing commentary with three people is challenging, and that’s why you don’t see it much on RAW or SmackDown now. He felt like he was an outsider trying to fit in but believed he still had something to offer, even though it was Graves’ time to shine.

Coachman remembered advice from Jim Ross, who said that working in a three-man team is like playing basketball—you need to pass the ball at the right time, all while listening to Vince McMahon in your ear. If the team isn’t in sync, things go wrong.

Coachman felt that during his time in 2018, they made mistakes because of the three-person setup. Coachman thinks if he had been part of a two-person team and allowed to bring back his “heel Coach” character, it would have gone much better.

“If you notice now, how many three-man booths are there on RAW or SmackDown? None. It’s too difficult. It’s nothing against Corey Graves, but he just happened to be the one that I was working with when I came back. And I believe at my core that he didn’t want me there, and again, that’s okay because it’s his time now. But it doesn’t mean that I didn’t have something to give, but I was like the outcast. I was trying to get in. And I remember years ago JR used to teach me that when you do a three-man booth, it’s like a three-man weave, and you’ve gotta be able to hit guys for a lay-up or a dunk at the right times, while Vince is screaming in your ear. And if everybody’s not on the same page, the ball’s gonna go out of bounds. And that’s what I felt like those few months when I came back in 2018 was we fumbled the ball out of bounds because it was a three-man booth. And if I would have been there with Michael or whoever, and I could have been allowed to go back to heel Coach, in a two-man booth, I think it would have been completely different.”

Coachman also revealed how he was punished by WWE for not attending a Tribute to the Troops event in Afghanistan because he wanted to stay with his pregnant wife. Nonetheless, it is not known whether he will ever return to WWE again, but Coachman certainly doesn’t hold any ill will towards him in the end.