Corey Graves Recalls Brock Lesnar Gesture For WWE Talent After 2015 Live RAW Cancellation
The status of RAW this past Monday was in question due to a snowstorm in the Salt Lake City region. The show was not cancelled, but the situation reminded Corey Graves of the time when RAW was postponed in 2015. Graves talked about the situation that also resulted into him talking to Brock Lesnar for the first time on the latest episode of his podcast, After The Bell.
"RAW took place in Salt Lake City, UT this week, amidst a hellish snow storm, and fortunately for all of us, RAW was not cancelled," Graves said. "But it reminds me of the time it once was. It was 2015. RAW was supposed to take place in Hartford, CT, and there was a state of emergency declared so the live event was cancelled. It wasn't allowed to happen, but RAW still took to the air that night. I was lucky enough to be in the TV studio watching all of the worker bees work seeing what amazing capabilities the TV studio and team could pull off. There were a few SUVs loaded up from Hartford. It brought some talent from Monday night RAW to the TV studio where the crew cobbled together three hours worth of actually surprisingly entertaining programming considering the circumstances.
"That night stands out to me because it was the first time I encountered Brock Lesnar in person. I found myself in a conference room sitting beside him, and there was an awkward silence. Neither of us knew each other or what to make of one another other than the fact that I was as terrified of him in person as I had been for years on television. So did what any reasonable human would do in that situation: I complimented 'The Beast' on his jacket which surprisingly led to a fun little exchange. A conversation with Brock Lesnar, who at that particular juncture, did not decide to tear me limb from limb. Lucky me."
Graves talked more about what the production crew had to do to fill time for a three-hour TV broadcast. He also talked about Lesnar allegedly paying money to keep the bar open. While not naming names, Graves talked about what he did during the snow storm.
"The show was very interesting. They re-aired the Royal Rumble match from the night before [and aired] a few backstage interviews with Roman, Brock and many others, and allegedly, [the] now WWE Champion paid a significant amount of money to keep the bar wide open for everybody to make sure they made the best of a crappy situation," Graves said. "I, of course, stayed in a completely different hotel, but it led to me finding the only open establishment in the scenic Stamford, CT where myself and two-thirds of The Shield made sure that none of the beers at said establishment went unattended.
"What a day. Not all bad things came from that snow storm: fun memories, fun times but let's hope RAW doesn't get cancelled ever again."
Graves also had Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks on as guests. You can listen to the full podcast by clicking here. If you use any quotes in this article, please credit WWE's After The Bell with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.