Corey Graves On Who Could Have Been A Breakout Star With A Crowd At WWE Money In The Bank

Corey Graves welcomed Christian on After The Bell to discuss the current WWE product as well as his own career. The podcast was recorded shortly after WWE Money in the Bank, so the two did not know the updates on Aleister Black and Rey Mysterio after the show, but they commented on Black and Mysterio getting thrown off the roof, and Christian gave his overall thoughts on the match itself.

Christian said, "My initial thoughts are the being thrown off the roof of headquarters is the new being tipped off the ladder and crushing yourself on the top rope."

"Top that. Top that," Graves said. "I'm curious to see what state of affairs and what physical ability or lack thereof Aleister Black and Rey Mysterio are in in the very immediate future.

"Yeah, my initial thoughts was that it wasn't a very traditional ladder match in a sense of what I came up doing, but we're in a unique situation in the world at this point in time. Having WrestleMania at the Performance Center, it's unheard, but for me, it was necessary to do that show, to give the world some entertainment, to give them an escape," Christian feels. "That being said, it also gives an opportunity to do more unique things like what we saw with the Fun House, the Boneyard Match and now with this Money in the Bank match.

"I thought it was innovative. I thought it was well done. I thought it was different, and different is hard to do these days. More than anything, I think every participant in it came off looking better going in. To me, that's important."

The match included various cameos from people like Vince McMahon and Brother Love, with Otis and Asuka winning their respective matches. However, Graves and Christian highlighted Dana Brooke as someone who performed well in the match and might have benefited if there was a crowd present.

"I was actually driving home last night, after the PPV," Graves said. "In particular, what stood out to me was Dana Brooke for basically the comic relief of the match-up, but to me that's sort of the performance that had we had the luxury now of a live crowd, I think that was the sort of performance that, at least in the short term, if she were to walk out Friday night, in front of a live crowd, I think we'd have a massive star in our hands for the night.

"I don't know if it would have been a long-term sustained connection with the audience, but I feel like that's one of the things that's missing is the organic ability to get over. She stood out to me, and I feel like if we had a crowd, at least in the short term, we would have a big star."

"Right, I think it's taking advantage of the moments that you get, and those moments for might not have happened in a regular setting, in a ladder match situation, having the chance to have those facials and to hear the conversations or whatever was happening," Christian added. "Like you said, it maybe changed the perception of her as a performer in a good way."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit After The Bell with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.