Corey Graves Recalls Vince McMahon Yelling At Announce Team For Saying ‘Happy Holidays’ Instead Of ‘Merry Christmas’

Corey Graves heard from “The Voice of God.” 

Every WWE announcer has their tale of “Vince McMahon in their ear” while they are doing commentary. Whether Vince is giving feedback, explaining what he wants, or getting his point across, everyone who has put on a headset has heard from Vince during the show. 

“Nothing rocked me like hearing the voice of Vince McMahon at any given moment. I always joke and say ‘it’s the voice of God in you ears,'” Corey Graves recalled on The Kurt Angle Show. 

Graves continued, giving an instance of when Vince was upset over a commentary line. 

“The first time I ever got ‘Vince’d,’ it was Chicago, Christmas night, we did Monday Night Raw live. This was probably four or five years ago. The Raw commentary desk was on top of the stage by the entrance way, and we would stand up and turn around and do these reverse on-cameras so that the ring and the crowd was in the back. It was a cool set up. Michael Cole and I were discussing beforehand. He said, ‘I’m going to do Welcome To Monday Night Raw. Happy Holidays, everybody. You can say Merry Christmas, here’s what we have on tap.’ Okay, great, we’ll throw into some graphics. Cole goes, ‘Welcome everyone to Monday Night Raw. Happy Holidays, everybody!’ With the speed of lightning, the boss was on the all-call button, which means everybody listening can hear. ‘I SAID MERRY CHRISTMAS! NOT HAPPY HOLIDAYS!’ Meanwhile, I’m going, ‘I was gonna say….’ I’m getting yelled at on camera. I’m like a deer in headlights. I’m going, this is it, I’m getting fired on Christmas night. Of course, we get done, he comes on and goes, ‘Aha, that was good. Thanks guys.’ I was terrified. My heart skips a few beats,” Graves recalled. 

WWE Raw aired on Christmas Day in Chicago in 2017. 

Graves closed by saying, “Somewhere down the line, when I write a book one day, I’ll tell a few other stories that are a little more lighthearted, but definitely not for public consumption. Some of the things that came through the headset over the years.”

Graves has been a commentator on the main roster since 2016 and currently works alongside Kevin Patrick and Michael Cole on WWE SmackDown. 

Elsewhere during the interview, Graves gave his thoughts on CM Punk returning to WWE. You can find his full comments by clicking here. 

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