Corey Graves Praises The Characters In NXT 2.0, Thinks Everyone Wrestles The Same Way

Corey Graves has an observation regarding NXT 2.0. 

Graves has been busy this past week, filling in for Pat McAfee on WWE SmackDown while continuing his duties on commentary on WWE Raw. He said on WWE After The Bell, he hadn’t had a chance to watch much NXT 2.0 lately, but was able to catch up on the product early in the morning.

While watching the show, Graves noticed something about the in-ring work. 

“Almost to a person, everyone that came to the ring or had a video package followed be an entrance, is unique. I love the off-site shoots NXT has been churning out. It’s cool. This isn’t a cinematic masterpiece. It’s not Oscar-level performance, but it’s an opportunity for everyone to get their chops about them, get comfortable in different environments, in front of more cameras and really complete themselves and figure this out. I noticed this problem. Once the bell rings, everybody wrestles the same way. The example I’m going to give you is the first one I noticed and that was Giovanni Vinci. I love the presentation of Giovanni Vinci. I think it’s cool. I get it, from the vignettes hyping his return, the music hits, he comes out with the snapshots, the photography, the Gucci-inspired wrestling gear. Ten seconds in, if I’ve never seen him before, I know who Giovanni Vinci is. Once the bell rang, Giovanni Vinci was no different to me than the guy in Imperium [Fabian Aichner, Vinci’s former persona]. Later on in the show, Roxanne Perez, who I think is going to be a big star. Very capable, very talented. I love her personality, her fire, her energy. She doesn’t wrestle much different than Jacy Jayne or ‘insert superstar here.’ It’s a concern of mine that, to make a truly get WWE superstar, character has to permeate every step of the match. You have to wrestle with your own skillset. Everybody in NXT, this is what is going to get blown up, I’m sure. Everybody in NXT, in my opinion, from my perspective, is a better wrestler than I ever was. They are all better athletes than I am. They are better athletes than some of the guys and girls on the main roster. The potential is all there. It’s just a matter of maintaining the persona and personality from bell to bell,” he said. 

He added, “You should be able to turn on a match and get into the match and understand who is who and what they’re about, what they bring to the table, and why they are different than their opponent.”

Vic Joseph pointed out the likes of Bron Breakker and the Creed Brothers as guys who wrestle different in the ring, leading Graves to praise the Creed Brothers and further elaborate on his point. 

“From bell to bell, they are different. They don’t work like anybody in NXT. They are their own skillset. Their movements from opening bell to the end are unique to the Creed Brothers. I want more of that. If you don’t watch NXT or WWE and you show fans Giovanni Vinci vs. Apollo Crews, good match, nothing wrong with it. I’m not picking it apart or crapping on anything, but what makes Giovanni Vinci different from Apollo Crews, from Grayson Waller, from anybody? Great characters, that’s the most important part. I’m trying to offer the next step for these talents. Incorporate who you are into how you work. There’s a disconnect to me when I see Tony D’Angelo, mob boss, who should be a street fighter, I know he has legit credentials. I don’t want to see him wrestle the same way Giovanni Vinci wrestles. I don’t want to see Giovanni Vinci wrestle the same way Apollo Crews wrestles,” he said.

Graves consistently noted that the character work should carry into the ring, noting that ma.çé and mån.sôör should not wrestle the same as MACE and Mansoor as they are different characters. He also said Terry Taylor was helpful to him and others in finding how their character should work in the ring.

Graves would praise Independent wrestlers Beastman and Super Oprah for their work as characters and wrestling how you would expect them to wrestle. 

Fightful provides live coverage of WWE NXT 2.0 every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. 

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