It took four days, but Corey Graves apologized. Sort of.
The WWE announcer opened the latest “After the Bell” podcast by saying sorry for a tweet during Saturday’s NXT Takeover WarGames event in which he criticized broadcast colleague Mauro Ranallo, who suffers from bipolar disorder. Graves, however, did not mention Ranallo by name. Meanwhile, Ranallo, who missed Survivor Series after the tweet, won’t be returning for Wednesday night’s NXT broadcast, according to multiple reports.
“This past Saturday during the Takeover WarGames event, I sent out a tweet. It was an unpopular opinion, as I often do with the intention of just stirring up a little controversy, maybe have something fun to talk about on TV or here on the show,” Graves said. “It was maybe not the most professional way to go about things, and it was never meant to offend or disrespect or disparage anybody. That was never my intention. If it was taken as such, I apologize deeply. That was not my intention. I would never intentionally cause anybody any undue stress, especially a coworker. So I apologize.”
After calling Takeover, Ranallo was expected to be a part of WWE’s Survivor Series broadcast Sunday night but did not take part. Michael Cole said on air that Ranallo’s absence was due to “blowing out his voice” on Saturday. Ranallo deleted his Twitter account on Sunday, causing further concern.
Graves’ tweet was based on his feeling that Ranallo doesn’t give Beth Phoenix and Nigel McGuinness enough time to speak during NXT broadcasts.
“Just for the record guys, I know you wouldn’t know it, but there’s actually a WWE Hall of Famer AND a former Ring of Honor Champion on commentary. I’d imagine they have a lot to offer. 🤷♂️ #NXTTakeoverWarGames,” Graves wrote.
Cole said during Survivor Series that Ranallo would return for Wednesday night’s live NXT broadcast, but that reportedly won’t be the case.