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The newest episode of "After The Bell with Corey Graves" is now available.
Corey opens the show talking about his travel woes and says mother nature hates pro-wrestling. Graves announces the show will be dropping on Thursday beginning next week. He jokes that his ego wants him to have his own day of content, pointing out the crazy WWE schedule these days. He mentions he is wearing "After the Bell" podcast merchandise saying that if you were in a rock band back in the day wearing your own merchandise was not seen as cool. But that is changed in the world of pro wrestling. Graves plugs the new T-shirts on WWE Shop.
The SmackDown commentator moves on to discuss his feelings regarding the Twitter romance between Dana Brooke and Dave Bautista. Corey states it caught everybody by surprise, but he respects the hell out of it. Graves says "Take your shot, Big Dave!". He states he doesn't know where it's going to go and he doesn't know if they even have any interest in one another but it's been fun to watch.
Graves then poorly segues into discussing The Fiend and his custom Universal Championship. Corey says he thinks the design is cool. He is a big fan of Tom Savini, talking up their Pittsburgh connection. He says Savini is one of the best special-effects artists in the world today. Corey says it is cool that both of their worlds are combining. While Graves thinks the Fiend's custom Universal Championship is cool, he does have a problem with customized championships as a whole. Corey states that he's not a fan of customizing the championship because it erases the history and centers and around one guy. Corey mentions he had a problem with the Smoking Skull Belt for that reason. He says he understood why Universal Championship had to turn blue due to it being on SmackDown and matching the color scheme. Graves goes on to say he even did not have a problem with the Ultimate Warrior changing the leather strap color when he was Intercontinental and WWF Champion. But now The Fiend is going to defend the title with his face on it? He doesn't like it. Corey says everything in the business is fluid and constantly evolving so he understands why change happens. He says that when it comes to championships all you have is history. He goes on to say when he was a kid the title that was most important the WWF Championship. That is the one that all the greats held like Hogan, Savage, etc. To him, the WWE Championship is at a higher standing. Corey says he understands that different brands need different championships. The Universal Championship came into effect and it is what it is. But every you change the championship design, Graves says in his opinion. It devalues the title. He puts forth a scenario asking whether you would want the Stanley Cup winners of the NHL to redesign the look of the championship every year. Or the Super Bowl Champions redesigning the Lombardi trophy saying that it devalues its legacy. He says there are championship rings customized to the team but the trophies have a never-changing design that is a goal for players every season. Graves clarifies that he's okay with custom championship side plates but the Universal Championship being The Fiend's face, he is unsure about that. Either way, he still thinks it's pretty cool and if he had $6500 lying around, he would definitely pick one up.
Corey then moves on to talk about how he likes that The Fiend is challenging his opponents. Graves says he loved The Firefly Fun House segments this past week on SmackDown. He was laughing at the vignettes, calling them clever and entertaining. The SmackDown commentator states that he loves the segments. It has a different vibe of then everything else on the show. But The Fiend in his opinion is best in small doses. Graves goes on to say that The Fiend should be brought out to defend the championship and on very special occasions. Corey is in no way tired of the Fiend, but he's afraid that it might be too much of a good thing. He's afraid the fan is going to lose interest when they are seeing the same thing over and over. It's just human nature. He says he'd love to see more of Daniel Bryan versus The Fiend, even stating he wants three more months of the feud. Corey states he was just voicing his concerns.
We then hear Graves transition into talking about the latest this past Friday between King Corbin and Roman Reigns, stating he loved the opening segment. Corey then goes on to say he enjoyed The Big Dog stuff in the storyline as bad as it was because it's always cool to see Roman go nuclear. He mentions fans of social media making fun of his and Michael Cole's energy drinks being casualties of war in regards to Reigns versus Corbin. He states he enjoys a little chaos. Graves says he can't wait to see where this goes. And he thinks we all know where this is headed. But he is along for the ride.
Graves moves on to discuss the returns of, Alexa Bliss, Elias, and Sheamus on SmackDown. Corey says more of The Goddess is definitely a good thing. He says the Elias segment was entertaining but weird. In regards to Drake Maverick forgetting he was married and attempting to hit on Dana Brooke. He wonders if losing the 24/7 Championship that many times nullifies the marriage considering he never consummated.
This transitions into the first interview this week with the returning Celtic Warrior Sheamus. After exchanging pleasantries, the two discuss how Sheamus has been doing. He said he feels great, calling from Las Vegas on his day off. He said it was cool visiting everybody backstage at Survivor Series in Chicago as he was there for a Cricket Wireless appearance. Corey mentions that it was like a family reunion. Sheamus agrees to say the WWE is like family and it was weird having all that time off now getting back in the swing of things. Corey then poses a question regarding rumors that Sheamus was dealing with injuries. The Irishman plays it off saying he thinks everyone on the main roster is dealing with injuries of some sort. The former WWE Champion states that the rumors were out there, but the last seven months he's been doing very well hitting the gym very hard. He said he's focusing on health and wellness talking about nutrition and visiting the world including going home to Ireland. Sheamus says time off is a good thing. He says the lifestyle of a WWE superstar is an arduous one. He then talks about The Celtic Warrior Workout YouTube channel saying he's been incorporating new techniques, thanks to fellow athletes and superstars. He puts over Carmella saying her booty workout gave him a run for his money and he was feeling it for days afterward.
Sheamus then invites Corey on the YouTube channel who says is booty workout will not be as extensive and strenuous as Carmella's was.
Corey asks if Sheamus kept track of everything else going on in WWE during his time off or did he unplug completely. He said he did both. Sheamus kept track of guys like Rusev, Drew McIntyre and Cesaro. Sheamus talks about his history with Drew McIntyre coming up on the European scene before getting originally signed by WWE on the same day. Rusev is his next-door neighbor. So it's understandable why he would keep track of him, stating The Bulgarian Brute drinks just as much whiskey as he does. And of course, Cesaro is his friend and one-half of the most successful tag teams in The Bar. Sheamus goes on to say that he does keep up somewhat with everything, but when he knows he's coming back, he will invest more heavily in the weekly TV watching everything. The Celtic Warrior says after watching the Survivor Series, his appetite to return was greater than ever. Corey mentions that it's hard being on the sidelines waiting to get back. Sheamus says it's even harder when you're backstage at a show you are not being used sitting on the bench watching other talents tear it up in the ring. Especially on a big show or pay-per-view.
They discuss Sheamus and Corey running into each other on the set of the new WWE Netflix project "The Main Event." He discusses being on the set with NXT's Barantude and Edge. Sheamus says he can't wait to see the finished product.
Corey then asks about what can we expect from Sheamus going forward in WWE. Sheamus responds by saying 10 years ago, no one knew what to expect from the Celtic Warrior. He mentions beating John Cena, winning championships, opening the doors for other European superstars that don't fit the WWE look like Jack Gallagher and Paige. And he's using every bit of that to motivate him going forward in his return on SmackDown. He says he's more hungry and passionate that he was when he first started. They then promote The Celtic Warrior Workouts YouTube channel. Sheamus tries to get Corey to commit to appear. He evades giving an answer. Sheamus says people want to know how he fits in those skinny jeans. Corey laughs.
Graves put over NXT this past Wednesday. He then talks about Keith Lee shoulder blocking Adam Cole into the second round. He basks in the glory of Adam Cole. He is anxious to see how everything goes coming out of Takeover.
He then moves on to Monday Night Raw, which you missed two-thirds of due to travel issues. He puts over Samoa Joe on commentary saying that he's one of the most talented human beings that Graves knows. Corey states that despite his good skills on the mic he hopes The Samoan Submission Machine will get a World Title run before he officially hangs up the boots. Graves says he hopes that one day he could spar with Samoa Joe on the mic because Lord knows he's already beaten him up enough and the ring.
Graves prefaces his next segue by saying context is key, he is sure that someone out there is going to misconstrue what he's about to say and frame it like he's burying someone. But this is not what it is. It just him as a fan and maybe someone a little too close to the business expressing his opinion on one of the greatest talents of this generation. Corey feels like Charlotte has never meant any less than she does currently. Graves clarifies his position by saying that when it's all said and done, he is sure that Charlotte will go down as one of the best female superstars in the business. But the current storyline tag team storyline is not clicking with him. And it feels like it's not clicking with Charlotte either. According to Graves, she looks like she's going through the motions. He reiterates he is not trying to say anything bad about Charlotte but for her to go back to tagging with Becky Lynch-like nothing ever happened and being up against The Empress of Tomorrow. Corey then says she was one-third of this year's Wrestlemania main event and she seemed to fall by the wayside. Graves says while Becky was an integral part of that match. He says he wants his Queen back. Corey says if nothing else, give Charlotte time away so people can remember what she was, not what she is.
Next up, The New Day interview begins and it's as chaotic as one would expect. Xavier, E, and Kofi making fun of Corey forgetting the name of the podcast wrong. Corey commends Kofi Kingston and Big E on their accuracy regarding hitting him in the face with pancakes and ring jackets. The quartet discussed their history together in developmental. Corey makes fun of Kofi and his workout regimen. They discuss Xavier Woods failed gimmicks, Rev. Graves and taking multiple Big Endings landing on muscle pillows of Big E. Kofi and E discuss doing their thing without Xavier backing them up. They discuss Xavier's new scooter motor transportation given his Achilles injury. E discusses the origin of the five-count in NXT and how it saved his career.
Graves asks Kofi about the fans being in an uproar regarding his abrupt end to his WWE title reign, which Kofi replies, he was just doing what he was supposed to. Kingston says fans asking him to be angry that he lost it would go against his character. He says sometimes there are negative days in the business but if you dwell on them, it makes you miserable in the long run. Kofi says that he appreciates passion fans have shown but he does not understand the anger in a certain sense. He is not the one that makes the decision. Xavier Woods goes on to say that every segment a talent gets is a battle and they are not done fighting the war. Every time they are out there The New Day is fighting to give everyone what they want. E says that Kofi is one of the most levelheaded guys he's ever met. E says he was irate when he found out about the title change and goes on to add no one else in the industry would've had the same reaction as Kofi to move on and not have sour grapes about the whole situation. Xavier frames it they want to make sure that people understand the larger picture saying that it was important Kofi was the first African born WWE Champion in terms of representation. They put over how long they wanted Kingston to be champion. E talks about long-term success of the faction and how they pushed through to be a constant on WWE programming. E puts over Daniel Bryan for his part in the whole story.
Kofi puts over Woods and E role in pushing him to the title. Kingston talks about how special Wrestlemania was in terms of the moment with his kids. And how everything came together, and all moving parts worked to tell a great story. The guys discuss black wrestler archetypes and putting out positive and different images, trying not to fall into stereotypes regarding black entertainers. They wanted that people can be themselves and like every interest of all nerdy permutations.
Graves talks about an internal video circulating of Big E, Kofi and Xavier in the Christmas spirit, the guys don't give a straight answer. Not wanting to spoil the surprise. Then, Kofi makes fun of Corey's new dog making fun of the animal being named Pancake. Graves tries to drive a wedge between the trio saying who should be WWE Champion next. The New Day doesn't fall for it. They put over their podcast to end the interview.
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