Corey Graves Addresses The ‘What If?’ Around Another WWE Match

WWE commentator Corey Graves and his wife, WWE superstar Carmella, joined The Illuminerdi on YouTube and discussed the recent news that Graves has been medically cleared to wrestle for the first time since having to retire in 2014. The former NXT Tag Team Champion revealed that he still has an itch for in-ring competition, but doesn't currently have plans to come back.

"I have no immediate goals to accomplish," Graves said. "I've accomplished so much in this role as a commentator, which is a role I never in a million years expected to have in the first place, so now I feel like I've got the commentary thing down, now what else can I do? I'm constantly behind the scenes trying to learn and learn the business side of the wrestling business and I always want to have irons in different fires, just because I feel like when I get complacent, I get bored.

"I just keep thinking to myself that is the one thing that I was right there. I was right at the peak, and I fell down the mountain, and now it's like, wait, I can get medically cleared. Maybe get myself back into shape, which has been the hardest part, because I really enjoy sitting at ringside! It's just always that 'what if,' and this is a 'what if' that I think I can potentially answer, instead of having to wonder forever, 'what if?' So it may happen six months from now, it may happen next year, it may not happen at all, but I'm just trying to get myself physically and mentally into the best shape possible for whatever the world may have waiting for me."

Back in March, when he first talked openly about being cleared to wrestle, Graves mentioned that "the one missing piece of the puzzle" was never having had an "official WWE match." Considering that his career was cut short just as he was on the cusp of that match, Graves revealed what he would tell his younger self about preserving his body.

"Slow down," Graves said. "I would've taken a little bit better care of myself. I felt like I was invincible ... I was so driven and goal-oriented, and I had blinders on, and the only thing I could focus on was making it to WWE, and I was right there. And I think in hindsight, if I had slowed down a little bit, taken a little bit better care of myself physically and mentally, maybe I wouldn't have hit that roadblock when I did ... I think a little bit older, wiser version of me, I would just tell myself to slow down and take it easy because as we can see, I eventually got here in some capacity."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Illuminerdi with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.