WWE‘s Corey Graves reflects on his relationship with his “wrestling big brother” CM Punk.
WWE commentator Corey Graves recently had an interview with Scott Fishman of TV Insider. During the conversation, he looked back at his early relationship with CM Punk, revealing that they once teamed up in an untelevised WWE match two decades ago. Graves and Punk have also competed against each other on a few International Wrestling Cartel events between 2002 and 2004, with Graves coming out on top on all occasions.
Corey Graves reflected on his journey when he was trying to get signed to a contract in OVW, while CM Punk was already under contract. He noted that Punk was always two steps ahead of him, something he admired. It made Graves look up to him and try to follow in his footsteps.
“He and I actually tag teamed against The Gymini. I had a tryout at OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) at the time. I did the dark match and ended up not getting signed off of it. Punk was already signed and under contract at that time. He has been one of my closest friends. I’ve known him for close to 20 years at this point,” Corey Graves said.
“It really is wild. Life in this business is so unusual. Everyone has a different story, but to have someone who I bond with so deeply when I was trying to get ahead of the business. He was always a step or two ahead of where I was. I looked up to him for that. I sort of tried to follow in his footsteps. I patterned myself after him, right, wrong, or indifferent.
Corey Graves and CM Punk fell off for a while after 2014
Speaking further, Corey Graves revealed that he and CM Punk had a falling out after the latter’s rocky exit from WWE in 2014. However, they patched things up and apologized to each other after Punk returned to the promotion in 2023.
“I’m sure I learned a few bad habits along the way, but he was sort of my ‘wrestling big brother. That’s how I looked at it. Then life happens. There are the well-documented issues he had with WWE. He and I fell off for a while, but when he came back, I made it a point to talk to him. It’s one of those things where I believe time heals all wounds or at least most wounds,” Corey Graves said.
“We had a heart-to-heart. Both of us apologized for a couple of different things and let it be water under the bridge. Since then, we’ve continued to grow close again. He is one of my favorites to this day, despite the fact he is my friend. As a talent, I’ve always been a fan of CM Punk. With all the headaches and issues and struggles he has had in his career, the relationship between him and WWE had soured so badly,” Corey Graves said.
Graves is happy to see Punk walk into WWE WrestleMania 42 as the World Heavyweight Champion
“Then to have it come full-circle and know, despite what he says in interviews about what is important to him, in Phil [Brooks’] (Punk) heart he wants to be the World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania. So, I’m happy for my friend in that respect. To know the fan in him, not just professionally speaking, he is in the top spot and that’s where he deserves to be. It truly is a dream come true for him. There is still part of him that acknowledges that and realizes that, and I’m happy for him to get to live that,” Corey Graves said.
Read More: Corey Graves Says Demotion To WWE NXT Definitely Put A Chip On His Shoulder
