Corey Graves Uses Line From Movie On WWE SmackDown, Possibly A CM Punk Reference
Corey Graves used an interesting line from a popular movie on WWE SmackDown commentary, but some people believe it was a reference to CM Punk.
The name of former WWE, AEW & ROH World Champion CM Punk was back in the wrestling news again on Friday. Punk was fired by AEW over one month ago “with cause” due to numerous backstage incidents. It got so bad that AEW CEO Tony Khan claimed his life was in danger due to Punk’s actions.
CM Punk was back in the news because, in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that “it is his intention to return and the two sides are in talks.” While there is no deal yet, apparently the two sides have talked. Many people are thinking of Survivor Series as a possible CM Punk return date since it’s in Chicago where he lives.
It was in January 2014 when CM Punk last appeared in WWE. He walked out the day after the Royal Rumble due to creative frustrations with the company. Punk may not have been willing to return in the past, but perhaps he has less leverage now and is willing to consider a return this year or next year.
Corey Graves is one of the three commentators on WWE Smackdown with Michael Cole and Kevin Patrick. Clearly, Graves knew about Punk’s name being all over wrestling websites again. In 2018, Graves sent a series of tweets about how he was once close friends with Punk, but Punk didn’t want to associate with anybody in WWE after he left the company.
A line from a movie could be harmless…or it could be a CM Punk reference
On the October 6th episode of Smackdown, Graves said this while talking about the Fastlane card, specifically the Seth Rollins-Shinsuke Nakamura match: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was making the world forget that he existed.” The clip is below.
“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was making the world forget that he existed."
You’ll struggle to convince me these are just coincidences lmfao #Smackdownpic.twitter.com/2w7e4qqLAm
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) October 7, 2023
That line was used by CM Punk during his Ring of Honor career in the early 2000s. It was also referenced in Punk’s rivalry with MJF in AEW.
Clearly, Graves likely got a lot of tweets/X comments from fans who thought about CM Punk, which led to Graves making this comment.
“You guys should really see The Usual Suspects.”
You guys should really see The Usual Suspects.
— Corey Graves (@WWEGraves) October 7, 2023
The Usual Suspects is a 1995 film that was very popular in that decade as something of a cult classic due to the incredible story told by a great cast.
In the Usual Suspects film, the actual line was: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
Whether Graves was simply, innocently referencing the movie or he did it because of CM Punk being in the news again isn’t known. Graves is a guy that has a sharp wit and uses sarcasm a lot on commentary, so he could have done it as a joke, but you never know for sure in pro wrestling.