With WWE WrestleMania XL just over a month away, taking place April 6 and 7 in Philadelphia, those in the company have their sights set on the big event.
This week, Smackdown lead announcer and former wrestler Corey Graves joined Jessica Kleinschmidt on the Short and to the Point podcast and covered a wide range of topics.
Among them, Graves discussed working for Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who is currently WWE’s Chief Content Officer and head of creative. TKO Executive Chairman Ari Emmanuel empowered him creatively shortly before McMahon’s disgraceful exit.
Graves, who was also a wrestler and announcer for NXT, WWE’s developmental brand, while Levesque was in charge there, had nothing but positive things to say about Triple H.
“Triple H is another guy I owe a great deal, if not everything in my career, to. He was the one that took a chance on me as a wrestler in NXT. If I need something, I’ve never hesitated to go to him and ask. He’s cool and refreshing in the sense that he gives us [announcers] space,” Graves said.
As any WWE announcer who worked for McMahon will tell you, that wasn’t always the case. He was very hands-on to the point of micromanaging his announcers, a common complaint from fans and announcers alike. Graves is aware of that, as well, and explains the difference.
“Instead of being told and prompted that you have to do it a certain way or you have to use certain verbiage, Triple H understands that we’re all fans, and as the business grows and evolves you kind of have to let go of the reins a little bit. I still have my guide rails, but I feel like they’re a little bit wider on each side now.”
McMahon was also famous for screaming at the announcers in their headsets, which Graves was pleased to share doesn’t happen anymore.
“I’ve been on TV for seven years between RAW and Smackdown. In the last few months, my headsets have been as quiet and lucid as they have been ever. I only hear from him if I’m doing something terribly wrong or if a joke lands. If I say something and it gets him he’ll double down or he’ll add on to my joke in my headset.”
[Photo Credit: WWE on YouTube]
Short and to the Point with Jessica Kleinschmidt is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
