35 Current WWE Stars And Their '90s Counterparts

14. Corey Graves/Jesse Ventura

Corey Graves and Jesse "The Body" Ventura
WWE.com/WWE

Corey Graves was seen as one of the biggest names in NXT during his run there, and many often referenced similarities with a certain CM Punk. Sadly for Graves and his fans, his in-ring career was cut far too short due to concussion issues.

Since then, Graves has transitioned remarkably well to a commentator/analyst role on NXT and also on the WWE’s PPV pre-shows. Then there’s the Network-exclusive Culture Shock show. Simply put, Corey Graves is an engaging guy who can talk.

With his career having been cut short due to injuries ,the late 1980s saw Jesse “The Body” Ventura make the switch to colour commentator, and he is remembered by many as one of the very best at that job, particularly when paired with Gorilla Monsoon or his WCW days with Tony Schiavone.

Ventura had the knack of getting heels over by logically justifying their actions, yet he’d also give babyfaces credit when needed. These are some traits that Corey Graves is already developing well and certainly bode well for his future.

Graves is no Jesse Ventura just yet, but his skill set is already starting to pick up some of the things that made Ventura a truly great on-air presence.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.