Corey Graves Responds To Fan Criticism Over WWE Network Moving To Peacock

NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service has now become the new official home for the WWE Network in the United States. WWE officially announced they signed a multi-year agreement with the service that will give Peacock the rights to stream exclusively in the U.S. The WWE Network on Peacock will officially launch on Thursday, March 18th with the first official pay per view being WWE Fastlane on March 21st.

On the latest episode of WWE After The Bell, host Corey Graves mentioned the backlash on Twitter of wrestling fans being upset at the move. Graves said this move is going to be a home run for WWE and believes it will help WWE gain back some of the audience they may have lost over the years.

"Why on earth would anybody not think this is an amazing move for a fan?" Graves said. "If you can conquer your own laziness, it actually saves you money, it's going to cost less than the WWE Network costs right now. This is who I think the move benefits the most, the lapsed fan. The fan who loves WWE or loved WWE maybe hasn't watched for a few years, maybe doesn't tune in every Monday or Friday.

"Let's say as you're going to turn on The Office, you see the WWE Network logo pop up. Now a fan who says 'Oh man, I used to love Goldberg, Stone Cold,' you see that face, you click a button and now you bring fans back. It's so easily accessible."

Graves continued to discuss why this is a positive for WWE. He said he is currently subscribed to Peacock already and uses it to watch shows like The Office and the Dracula movies.

"I think this is a great opportunity for lapsed fans who have not followed or maybe they just aren't as in tuned with WWE as they should be," Graves said. "It's all about access, it's all about accessibility, it's very exciting. Oh, and it's cheaper than it already is. It's a win, win, win."

His co-host, NXT commentator Vic Joseph, also felt that the partnership can attract new fans to the WWE. He believes that having things like Golf and Nascar combined with wrestling is a win-win for all involved.

"I think it's a brilliant move for all sides," Joseph said. "How many fans sit there and they watch Nascar, they watch Golf, they watch The Office, all of sudden it's gonna [make them go] I remember [WWE], click and they watch it. It works vice versa as well, if you're a wrestling fan that also likes The Office, Nascar or Golf, you now have it all in one bundle. It's all right there. I just don't see why people can't get the enjoyment out of anything, they always have to be so negative all the time."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE After The Bell With Corey Graves with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.