Former WWE star Jonathan “The Coach” Coachman says he believes Corey Graves didn’t want to work with him during his 2018 return.
In 2018, Jonathan Coachman made his return to WWE as a color commentator, joining Michael Cole and Corey Graves on the call for Monday Night Raw. Coachman eventually left WWE for a second time when he started as a commentator for the XFL in 2021.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Jonathan Coachman comments on the struggle of working a three-man WWE Raw commentary team in 2018 and his belief Corey Graves didn’t want him there. He said:
“If you notice now, how many three-man booths are there on Raw or SmackDown? (None). It’s too difficult. It’s nothing against Corey Graves, but he just happened to be the one that I was working with when I came back.
“And I believe at my core that he didn’t want me there, and again, that’s okay because it’s his time now. But it doesn’t mean that I didn’t have something to give, but I was like the outcast. I was trying to get in.
“And I remember years ago JR used to teach me that when you do a three-man booth, it’s like a three-man weave, and you’ve gotta be able to hit guys for a lay-up or a dunk at the right times, while Vince is screaming in your ear. And if everybody’s not on the same page, the ball’s gonna go out of bounds.
“And that’s what I felt like those few months when I came back in 2018 was we fumbled the ball out of bounds because it was a three-man booth.
“And if I would have been there with Michael or whoever, and I could have been allowed to go back to heel Coach, in a two-man booth, I think it would have been completely different.”
Coachman continued to discuss his issues with Graves, saying:
“I would actively every week ask Michael Cole, ‘Can you talk to Corey about us working together?’ I have nothing against Corey Graves, I’ve known Michael Cole since 1999. But if they don’t wanna work with you, there’s nothing you can do.
“And Corey never wanted to talk to me. I never had one conversation with Corey Graves, and I tried. And that’s okay because that’s kind of how the business is – if you don’t want someone to step in and take your spot, (but) I was never gonna take his spot. He’s amazing doing Raw or SmackDown.”
Coachman currently works for CBS Sports and as a podcaster, while Corey Graves is currently color commentator for Friday Night SmackDown alongside Michael Cole.
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