5 Ups And Downs For WWE NXT Takeover: Rival

By Scott Carlson /

4. Making The Transition To The Mic

When Corey Graves announced in December that he had to retire from in-ring competition due to concussions, it was a bittersweet moment. He was doing well for himself in NXT and had a unique look that could have translated on the main roster. Instead, Graves turned his attention to the announcer€™s desk, where he has to have turned some heads. Graves seems extremely comfortable calling matches and offering color commentary in the heel former wrestler role. In some ways, he€™s reminiscent of Jesse Ventura, drawing attention to the moves, cheering on the heels but not afraid to compliment a good guy or call out a villain for doing something stupid. (Maybe €œThe Body€ isn€™t the best comparison. Paul Heyman during the Invasion angle would be a good comparison.) During Rival, Graves got on Tyler Breeze for wasting time and not covering Hideo Itami multiple times, pointing out that €œjust because he kicked out once doesn€™t mean he will again.€ Graves also argued with Jason Albert about components of a match without detracting from the match itself. It€™s little insights and comments like that that add to the program, rather than JBL yelling about how great the Authority is to get over that he€™s a heel.