Corey Graves raised quite a few eyebrows with a rant on Dana Brooke's in-ring career last month.
On the Oct. 4 episode of Monday Night Raw, Brooke went one-on-one with Shayna Baszler. During the match, Graves remarked that Dana Brooke should cut her losses because she "hasn't accomplished much of anything." Brooke seemingly responded to this in an Instagram story.
Corey Graves Says He Wasn't Shooting On Dana Brooke
Some felt Corey Graves buried Brooke with his comments. During an appearance on the Out of Character podcast with Ryan Satin, Graves made it clear that he was simply doing his job and didn't intend to make Brooke look bad.
"99.9% of the time, everybody realizes that it's just me doing what I do. I love walking the line and being provocative. I also make sure, and I try to take great care, that I don't ever harm anybody from a character perspective. I always want to make people better. For instance, the Dana Brooke issue, I actually sent her a text message the next morning saying, 'Hey, no hard feelings, it wasn't personal.' Full disclosure, I don't know what's going to happen on these shows. I am reacting. That's my choice. There have been times where I sat in production meetings and I have ideas, but I prefer to not know what's happening because I like to think my reactions are more genuine, I get to use my wit a little bit better."
It's important to note that Brooke is a face on WWE TV. Graves is the heel commentator. The line he delivered on commentary may have simply alluded to the fact that Dana Brooke hasn't won a title in WWE.
Graves will soon be experiencing married life. He and WWE Raw star Carmella recently got engaged.
H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes