Corey Graves throws shade after being demoted on WWE commentary team: 'Not famous enough'

There appears to be some drama generating at the WWE commentary table.

With Monday Night Raw now on Netflix, WWE welcomed back former NFL punter and sports media giant Pat McAfee to the commentary booth for the show alongside Michael Cole. As a result, there was some reshuffling in the commentators for the company's show.

Joe Tessitore, who joined in July, was originally part of the Raw team but was moved to Friday Night SmackDown, alongside Wade Barrett. That left out Corey Graves, who has been a broadcaster since 2016 after he was forced to medically retire from in-ring competition. Graves has been widely praised for his work on the headset, but he was pushed to WWE's development brand NXT, joining Vic Joseph and Booker T, in a move that could be seen as a demotion.

Graves didn't seem to take the move well. In a now-deleted post on social media, he shaded the move and appeared to take a shot at McAfee.

"Imagine chasing your dream. Then being TOLD (not deciding) that you’re no longer physically able to pursue your dream,” Graves wrote Monday night. "Then you dedicate your life to something 'dream adjacent' and being pretty (expletive) awesome at it. And then, when it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, being told you’re not famous enough for your own job. Just in case you’ve wondered where I’ve been."

Graves followed up the post on Tuesday morning with another now-deleted one that said "I’ve got a lot to say. Don’t miss #WWENXT tonight on @TheCW TONIGHT." Strange enough, Graves was not present for the NXT show on Tuesday night.

Former WWE commentator Jonathan Coachman offered some perspective on the situation, noting that moving the commentary both has been a normal thing for decades.

"So Corey is upset for being bumped from the main announce roster. Happened to JR 5 times. Happened to Cole multiple times. Happened to me multiple times," Coachman wrote. "He is right he is really good at his job. But playing in the sandbox a little bit better might not hurt next time. Embrace whatever role you have and understand that you are lucky to have it. There are only 3-5 of these jobs at the highest level. Who knows maybe they asked him to be a part of a 3 man booth. We know he doesn’t like that. lol. Sorry had to. Last line a joke. The rest it’s the wrestling business. It happens."

As is the case with wrestling, it's unclear if this frustration is legitimate or a work toward something in the future. Graves could be working toward actually being cleared to compete in the ring, in which case would likely lead to a match against McAfee, who has plenty of in-ring experience and has been an on-screen rival of Graves for some time.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Corey Graves throws shade after being demoted on WWE commentary team