10 Ups And 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (July 25)

7. Graves Is Good

Corey Graves
WWE

Remember how much better the announce team got in 2001 when Jerry Lawler left WWF and Paul Heyman replaced him on Raw? We saw something similar Monday night, when Corey Graves was called up from NXT to replace JBL (who moved to SmackDown) on commentary.

Graves’ in-ring career in NXT was cut short due to concussions, and he transitioned over to the commentary booth in late 2014, where he quickly displayed talent at being somewhat of a heel analyst who put over the wrestlers, the angles and the action in the ring. Those who regularly watch NXT knew it was only a matter of time before he got the call to the main roster.

The difference was immediate, as fans had to notice the absence of Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody references, as well as constant mentions of how much fun everyone was having. JBL was great in his heyday on commentary, but his act had worn thin with a lot of fans, and Graves was a breath of fresh air.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.