10 Things You Didn't Know About Corey Graves
4. He Won A Championship By Defeating Samoa Joe And Rikishi
On 23 August 2007, Sterling James Keenan defied the odds to defeat Samoa Joe and Kishi (better known as WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi) to win the Natural Heavyweight Championship at Ballpark Brawl VIII. Things got even more historic for SJK soon after when Ballpark Brawl ceased to exist, meaning Corey Graves was the final major champion in the promotion.
Graves was an established name on the independent circuit both in North America and Europe, featuring prominently for International Wrestling Council (IWC), One Pro Wrestling (1PW), and a load of other promotions before signing with WWE in 2011. Graves made a number of sporadic appearances for Ring of Honor over the first decade of his career too, although he failed to gain any real traction in the company.
Being an established name outside of WWE almost guarantees a whole load of titles coming your way, and it isn't surprising that the Ballpark Brawl Natural Heavyweight Championship wasn't the only belt Graves held before arriving in WWE.
Arguably his greatest achievement was winning the Zero-One United States Heavyweight Championship twice, adding his name to a list of champions that includes current ROH Champion Christopher Daniels, Brian Kendrick, and Alex Shelley.