10 Things We Learned From Corey Graves' New WWE Podcast
10. The Storyline Stuff Won't Work
The Bayley segment felt out of place and sort of sucked.
Sorry to say, but there's no room for a kayfabe skit on a podcast that markets itself as a warts and all, filter-free take on WWE's product. After the Triple H and Seth Rollins interviews (and before Ric Flair called in), Bayley traded some in-character banter with Corey then hung up the phone. This should've happened on SmackDown, not here.
It doesn't really even make any sense anyway. If Rollins, Trips, Flair and Graves himself are willing to be so open and friendly, then the insinuation is that SmackDown's Women's Champ is actually a bitch in real life. That's blatantly not the case, so Corey would be smart to ditch the storyline stuff and lean on reality.
Sticking both in some sort of audio blender and hoping for the best won't cut it in the long run. The presentation of 'After The Bell' is largely kayfabe-free, and it's that dedication to honesty that will help the show succeed.