Jonathan Coachman, the former color commentator for RAW, recently revealed on the “Insight With Chris Van Vliet” podcast that he was given an icy reception by Corey Graves when he rejoined WWE in 2018. According to Coachman, also known as “The Coach”, this coldness stemmed from Graves’ fear of losing his spot.
In the year 2018, Coachman stepped into Booker T’s shoes as the new color commentator for RAW, sharing a studio with Michael Cole and Graves. He revealed that he received what felt like an unjustified cold shoulder from Graves. In spite of his efforts to connect with Graves, including frequent requests to Michael Cole, he found no success. Coachman explains further, saying “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.”
Addressing the speculation about Graves’ apprehension about him taking over, he clarified, “I was never going to take his spot. He’s amazing doing RAW or SmackDown. It was about that’s what Vince [McMahon] wanted. I didn’t come in and say, ‘I’m stepping into that spot.’ So, it was really frustrating because I felt like I could have significantly contributed.”
In a separate podcast, “Going Ringside”, Oba Femi, a former WWE NXT North American Champion, discussed his aspirations and expressed hope to witness a WWE event in Africa. He described Africa as a potential hot market for WWE that could lead to an unprecedented response once tapped into.
Femi also recounted his surprising recruitment to WWE via a direct message, which he initially thought to be a scam. After verifying its authenticity, Femi went for a tryout and eventually secured a position, declaring, “Got the job and here we are.”
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