Corey Graves Reflects On Recent Celebrity Involvement In WWE

"WWE Raw" commentator Corey Graves has detailed why fans were unhappy with the inclusion of Pat McAfee and Jelly Roll in the storyline between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton ahead of WrestleMania 42. 

The two celebrities faced backlash from the WWE fanbase, which felt that their addition wasn't necessary. Graves said in an interview with Bill Apter for "1WrestlingVideo" that the timing worked against the two.

"I truly believe it was the timing of it. I think if there had been a little bit more time to work with — and again, I don't know that there are decisions made far above my pay grade, I don't know the ins and outs and truthfully I don't care to these days — but I think if there had been a little more time and maybe it had been in a different match," said Graves. "I mean, obviously, WrestleMania and celebrities have been synonymous since the beginning. I think, you know, Pat and Jelly Roll caught a few strays. I think it was just a matter of people have been waiting for Cody and Randy for so long, and they wanted to see that story told and unfold organically, and you get these other players that don't necessarily fit, you get a couple of square pegs and round holes."

He feels the fans wouldn't have minded if the two celebrities had been involved in another match on the WrestleMania card. Graves pointed to the addition of Lil Yachty to the Trick Williams-Sami Zayn storyline to highlight how fans were on board with him being in that story. He believes that any celebrity put in the McAfee or Jelly Roll spot would've got criticism from the fans, just because of how it was set up. 

The commentator, though, feels that WWE did a great job of navigating through the whole situation. Graves praised the match between Rhodes and Orton, calling the match worthy of being the main event of WrestleMania.