WWE News: Corey Graves Says Champions Are Being Wasted In WWE
Corey Graves has been voicing his grievances with the way WWE superstars have been booked recently. On the latest edition of the After the Bell podcast, he discussed how poorly the company has been portraying the War Raiders.
As quoted by WrestleTalk, the Friday Night SmackDown commentator said that WWE fans have yet to see the best of Erik and Ivar. However, he believes that the duo hasn’t been given an opportunity to show what they’re capable of on the red brand.
“Yes, they are the Raw Tag Team Champions. These are two outrageously talented dudes. The Viking Raiders are one of the best tag teams on the planet earth and are capable of awesome matches night after night. I don’t think it’s doing them, or the Raw Tag Team Titles, any favors having them beat the Long Island Polo Boys. It’s cartoony and silly. You have two legitimate bada** athletes. Let them shine. Give them a chance. Maybe start a hashtag. That’s how things change, right?”
Since being promoted from NXT earlier this year, the Viking Raiders have been on a dominant winning streak. At the time of this writing, they are undefeated in regular tag team matches, and they’ve squashed the majority of their opponents.
However, as Graves notes, most of their opponents have been local wrestlers and enhancement talents. In NXT, they were used to performing in long-form matches that stole the show, often demonstrating an ability for power moves and surprising agility for larger athletes. That type of wrestling just isn’t as commonplace on Monday Night Raw, though.
One of the main criticisms of WWE’s use of former NXT stars is that they water them down upon promotion to the main roster. The Viking Raiders were originally called the War Raiders, but they were given their current gimmick when they joined the red brand.
It’s time to JOIN THE RAID!
The #VikingRaiders @Erik_WWE & @Ivar_WWE are in action right now on #RAW. pic.twitter.com/dXT7xuDo4T
— WWE India (@WWEIndia) November 12, 2019
Erik and Ivar have a match against two former champions on the next episode of Monday Night Raw, however, so perhaps we’ll get to see them have a more competitive match.
Graves clearly wants to see two talented performers get to showcase their talent, which aligns with the criticism he’s had of the WWE product across the board lately.
As The Inquisitr recently reported, the commentator has also been critical of the love triangle storyline between Rusev, Lana, and Bobby Lashley. According to Graves, the storyline is akin to a bad soap opera, and it isn’t helping any of the talented performers involved in it.
