KEY POINTS

  • Corey Graves hints at a possible Survivor Series match with Pat McAfee
  • McAfee impressed audiences with his performance at WrestleMania 38
  • Graves has been medically cleared, making his in-ring return possible

The WrestleMania 38 performance that Pat McAfee put on still has the pro-wrestling world buzzing, and current Raw commentator Corey Graves is shooting his shot.

In a conversation with Wrestling Inc managing editor Nick Hausman, the former NXT performer teased this possibility for the upcoming Survivor Series event in November.

“Not to my knowledge was it (a match with Pat McAfee) ever discussed with any sense of legitimacy. But you’ve got to remember, there’s only one night a year Raw and SmackDown competes in head-to-head competition, Survivor Series,” said Graves.

“I think McAfee and Graves at Survivor Series, I think we have to pass the bar that was set by [Michael] Cole and [Jerry] Lawler at WrestleMania [27].”

McAfee received one of the biggest pops of the two-night event this past weekend as he went up against Austin Theory during Night 2.

While it had shades of his NXT matches with Adam Cole, McAfee nevertheless impressed the fans with his athleticism and charisma, even doing commentary during the match similar to how Booker T did back in 2009 during his TNA run.

Pat McAfee, Austin Theory
Pat McAfee hits a superplex on Austin Theory during their WrestleMania 38 Night 2 match on April 3, 2022. WWE

Seeing Graves and McAfee mix it up in the ring in a showcase match between two full-time commentators would actually be an interesting idea.

As part of the original batch of NXT performers, Graves was an NXT Tag Team Champion with Adrian Neville after defeating The Wyatt Family’s Luke Harper and Erick Rowan on the July 18, 2013 episode of NXT.

However, Graves was forced to retire from the ring early due to his history of concussions, which prompted him to become a commentator for the Raw brand.

WWE fans noted that his new line of work suited him well as he balanced wit, sarcasm, and knowledge of the business whenever he was on call for matches.

In February, it was revealed that Graves had actually been cleared to wrestle once again after he was medically cleared by WWE’s doctors sometime in 2020.

Graves’ body of work in the ring includes a match with three-time Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn during their NXT days and putting him with McAfee might not be such a bad idea after all.

With both commentators carrying a safe but exciting in-ring style coupled with their charisma on the mic, pro-wrestling fans may want to give this match a chance should it come to fruition.

Corey Graves, WWE
Corey Graves holding the WWE 24/7 title. WWE