wrestling / News

Corey Graves Slams Lashley/Rusev Match and Fist Fight From Raw, Says Liv Morgan & Street Profits Are Being Wasted

January 18, 2020 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Corey Graves Image Credit: WWE

– Corey Graves was not a fan of this past week’s Monday Night Raw, and he broke why down on this week’s After the Bell. Graves drew considerable attention when he took to Twitter during Raw to take shots at the show. Opening his podcast this week, he explained his issues with the show, specifically with the Bobby Lashley vs. Rusev match and the “Fist Fight.” He also expressed his frustration with the Street Profits’ treatment on the show. You can check out the highlights and the full podcast below:

On not enjoying Raw: “Let’s talk about Monday night Raw. Last night I wasted three hours of my life enduring what was an insufferable television show. And I’m going a little hard in the paint, but I mean it in a place of passion, okay? Raw was not all bad, but it left me in a really bad taste in my mouth.

“I watch Monday Night Raw from a very different perspective now. For many years, I called every minute of the action and I was kind of stuck in the bubble. Whereas now, I’m sitting on my couch in Pittsburgh, next to my girlfriend and my dog trying to enjoy Monday Night Raw as a fan. I don’t watch it to pick it apart. Obviously I watch it so I have things to talk about here on After the Bell, because that’s what I get paid to do. But man oh man, oh man.

On the Rusev/Lana/Lashley match:P “Last night was tough. Last night was hard, last night physically made me angry and I tweeted something to the effect. And what really set me off was the Lana, Rusev and Bobby Lashley segment. And I’ve beaten this to death, and this is of no fault to the performers. From the hours of 8 PM to 11 PM it has nothing to do with the talent…this is not their fault but the shows as a whole have just been lacking. And this segment has really set me off. Because I noticed they went to a wide shot, and in the middle of a match in this heated rivalry that has been brewing for months and months in a small eternity. The entire crowd was silent. Nobody was moving, nobody was clapping. It was complete apathy, which in this business is the worst thing you can have. You can be cheered, you can be booed; sure, not everything works. But to have an entire arena full of people, not reacting to anything that was happening is a problem. That’s what piqued my attention.”

On Liv Morgan’s treatment in the segment: “And then it got worse. For weeks and weeks and weeks, you have been promoting Liv Morgan and this return. And Liv Morgan, I’ve said on this show in my opinion, has been a star waiting to be born. She has this unusual reveal in the Lana – Lashley wedding which everyone had an opinion on right, wrong or indifferent. For the last week or so, she’s been promoting on social media she’s going to be in Rusev’s corner for this matchup. Liv’s absent until the very final moments until she comes to the ring — and gets Coke thrown in her face, and beaten up by Lana. Tell me why anyone in the WWE Universe should care about Liv Morgan now?

“It’s not Liv’s fault. But we’ve been told for weeks now that she’s important, she’s gonna be a star. And the first time we see her do anything of consequence, she gets beat up rather effortlessly by Lana. What’s this going to lead to? Rusev and Liv vs. Lana and Lashley? Whoever wins, what does that do for anybody? It’s just beating a dead horse. Let it go, let it move on. You have four talented superstars there. Let them be talented superstars, because this isn’t it.”

On the fist fight: “I mean, the first fight, the first-ever — we are so enamored with the ‘first time ever.’ It’s a fist fight, it’s freaking wrestling. That’s what every wrestling match is in WWE and around the world. It’s a fist fight with cooler moves. So to promote ‘The first time ever, it’s a fist fight!’ Which is a rematch, by the way, from the week prior. And have all six guys — and again, I have to say this to death, it is not the guys’ fault. All six of those guys are top-tier superstars…but walking into the end of Monday Night Raw looking like the fight scene in Anchorman is not it. And since when do you bring weapons to fist fights? Who the hell made the rules for this?”

On the Street Profits’ booking: “What the hell is happening with The Street Profits? I had these guys on my show a few weeks back. They are super talented. They’ve proven themselves. They were massively stars in NXT. They are two of, if not the two most charismatic guys on Monday Night Raw, and they’re doing backstage. And then they’re doing Weekend Update. And then they’re in a match, and then they’re not. And now they’re backstage yelling and doing promos. I don’t get it. Let the Street Profits be the Street Profits. Let them go, let everybody be themselves. This micromanagement stuff has to stop. We are our own worst enemies in this situation. I just want to be a fan, I just want to enjoy watching my friends be awesome stars and have great matches.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE’s After the Bell with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.