On a recent edition of the “Short and to the Point” podcast, WWE broadcaster Corey Graves discussed transitioning from color commentator to a play-by-play role on WWE SmackDown, and his relationship with his colleagues Michael Cole and Pat McAfee.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On switching to play-by-play work: “I think overall the most exciting aspect is it’s something new. I’m comfortable with it to an extent, having worked alongside Michael Cole for all these years. Cole really had me from day one as far as what he would like me to become as a broadcaster. Even back as an analyst I learned everything sort of the Michael Cole style — the outlines, the X’s and O’s.”
On doing more prep work for SmackDown: “I got so comfortable as an analyst that I did very little to zero prep before the shows. Every once in a while, if it was a big premium live event or for the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, etc., I would do a little homework, maybe drum up some backstories that people hadn’t been so familiar with. But now I actually have a lot of work to do. My workday begins when I get to the building on Fridays and that’s weirdly enough exciting for me.”
On the toughest part about the switch: “The hardest thing about making this transition so far is keeping my wit in check because as a human being, if there’s a joke to be made, I’m there. It’s just kind of … it’s a curse and a blessing, but I’ve been able to still maintain a little bit of that flavor.”
On still finding his voice: “I was told right up front when I was offered this opportunity, ‘We don’t want you to be Michael Cole 2.0. We already have Michael Cole. I’m still finding my voice and Wade Barrett is a new partner for me. He’s a guy I’ve developed chemistry with and been friendly with over the years, but as far as from a broadcast perspective, it’s all brand new. So I’m learning on the job, on the fly, as he is. But I think the beautiful part is we can sort of gel and tweak one another together and evolve as a team and sort of be a little bit more complete while also being something fresh, something new that’s never really been done before.”
