Why Corey Graves Was Written Off WWE TV After Brock Lesnar Attack

Brock Lesnar shocked fans by brutally attacking commentator Corey Graves on the September 19 edition of WWE SmackDown.

The segment started with Lesnar suddenly interrupting Michael Cole. He grabbed Cole and tossed him into the ring, causing chaos right away. When Corey Graves tried to step in and calm things down, Lesnar hit him with two vicious F5s. This attack forced Graves off commentary that night and kept him off TV afterward, leaving fans worried and curious about what was going on.

Behind the scenes, this storyline was created with a real-life purpose. Corey Graves needed time off WWE TV because his wife, Carmella, was expecting their second child. WWE wrote the attack angle to write Graves off TV in a way that made sense within the show, giving him the time needed to focus on family without leaving a gap awkwardly in the broadcast.

Carmella has been open about the challenges she and Graves have faced with pregnancies, including a heartbreaking ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage in 2022. After a healthy birth of their first son, Dimitri, in November 2023, Carmella became pregnant again in 2025 but hit some delays and complications that extended the pregnancy beyond expectations.

Will Corey Graves Return To The Ring?

Corey Graves retired from in-ring wrestling competition around a decade ago due to concussion issues. Therefore, when Lesnar ambushed him in the middle of the ring, many fans were concerned for him. But in an interview with TMZ in 2022, Graves revealed that the doctors had cleared him to return to the ring.

“I went and spent some time with doctors middle of last year. I kinda got the itch. This is one of the first times I’m saying this publicly. I have been medically cleared to compete. It’s not an immediate goal of mine… but never say never. You can never take the wrestler out of my heart.”

Lesnar’s attack on Graves could also be seen as WWE being ready to put him into action again. Clearly, the SmackDown commentator is fine with taking hard bumps inside the squared circle, which builds excitement among the fans about his potential return.