HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Matthew Polinsky (born February 24, 1984) is an American wrestling
color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...
and retired
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
. He is signed to
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
, where he performs under the
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
Corey Graves as the
color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...
on the NXT
brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...
. Graves is a former one-time NXT Tag Team Champion and a one-time
WWE 24/7 Champion The WWE 24/7 Championship was a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It was a tertiary championship open to anyone—regard ...
. Polinsky is also known for his work on the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
under the ring name Sterling James Keenan.


Early life

Polinsky was born and raised in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. He attended college and obtained a degree in
marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...
.


Professional wrestling career


Independent promotions (2000–2009)

Polinsky chose his
ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...
the night before his first professional wrestling match, and picked the name Sterling James Keenan as a tribute to Sterling Sharpe, Polinsky's favorite
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
player as a child, and
Maynard James Keenan Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, philanthropist, record producer, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool (band), Tool, A Perfe ...
of the band
Tool A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by animals, animals use simple tools, only human bei ...
. Keenan debuted on March 22, 2000. Throughout the next few years, Keenan appeared for various promotions, including Dory Funk Jr.'s " Funking Conservatory", where he competed with wrestlers including
Paul London Paul Michael London (born April 16, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he performs as a wrestler and a producer. He is best known for his tenure in WW ...
, Adam Windsor, and
Onyx Onyx is a typically black-and-white banded variety of agate, a silicate mineral. The bands can also be monochromatic with alternating light and dark bands. ''Sardonyx'' is a variety with red to brown bands alternated with black or white bands. ...
. In 2002, Keenan teamed with "Dreamachine" Chris Cage to win the Funkin Conservatory Tag Team Championship by defeating the team of London and Windsor. Keenan also made appearances for NWA Upstate,
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) was an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in J ...
, Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling, and Full Throttle Wrestling. On April 26, 2002, in NWA East / Pro Wrestling eXpress, Keenan and Mad Mike won the NWA East Tag Team Championship by defeating The Premiere Players. Keenan was part of the Union of Independent Professional Wrestlers promotion in both of its incarnations. He won the UIPW Keystone Cruiserweight Championship. Beginning in 2005, he appeared regularly for Far North Wrestling (FNW), and on November 2, 2007, he won a
Battle royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...
to win the FNW Heavyweight Championship. He defeated Samoa Joe and Rikishi by countout on August 23, 2007 to win the Ballpark Brawl Natural Heavyweight Title. On February 24, 2008, Keenan won Absolute Intense Wrestling's Heavyweight Championship by winning a 30-Man
gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
. Keenan competed for
Pro Wrestling Zero1 , often referred to simply as Zero1 and sometimes referred to as Pro Wrestling Zero1 Catch as Catch Can (stylized as ZERO1 and PRO WRESTLING ZERO1 CATCH AS CATCH CAN, respectively), is a Professional wrestling in Japan, Japanese professional wre ...
and won the Zero-One United States Heavyweight Championship on two occasions. On March 8, 2008, Keenan defeated Mr. Wrestling 3 in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
to win the championship for the first time. He only held the championship for a week before dropping it to Dr. X on March 15 in Morganville, New Jersey. On May 9, Keenan won the championship for the second time, defeating Jake Manning in Limerick, Pennsylvania. He held the championship for just under a month before losing it to Rick Landell on June 1. Throughout the years, Keenan has also made sporadic appearances for
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...
(ROH). His debut appearance for the promotion was at ''Round Robin Challenge II'' on April 25, 2003, where he teamed with E. Z. Money in a Tag Team Scramble match won by The S.A.T. He returned to ROH over two years later at ''Redemption'' on August 12, 2005, where he participated in a Four Corner Survival match won by Ace Steel. In October 2005, he lost a singles match to Claudio Castagnoli and a singles match between Keenan and Steel at '' Tag Wars 2006'' in January 2006 ended in a no contest due to interference from Chris Hero and the
Necro Butcher Dylan Keith Summers (born July 13, 1973), better known by the ring name Necro Butcher, is an American professional wrestler. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA Mid-South, Pr ...
. Six months later, at ''In Your Face'', Keenan and Jason Blade lost a tag team match to The Briscoe Brothers. He made a single appearance in ROH in 2007 at the ''Fifth Year Festival: Dayton'' event, losing to Jimmy Rave and another appearance in March 2009 at ''Steel City Clash'', losing to Delirious. He also appeared on the '' Ring of Honor Wrestling'' television show on the April 4, 2009 episode, losing to Erick Stevens.


International Wrestling Cartel (2002–2007)

Keenan debuted in the
International Wrestling Cartel International Wrestling Cartel is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by Justin Plummer, has become the longest tenured owner. Norm Connors ran the promotion for ...
(IWC) on October 19, 2002, defeating Troy Lords. On the following IWC show, Keenan defeated
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand. Regarded as ...
, before losing to Shirley Doe on two occasions but defeating Josh Prohibition. On December 28, Keenan teamed with Dustin Ardine to challenge the Devil's Advocates for the IWC Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. In May 2003, Keenan participated in IWC's Super Indy tournament, defeating B. J. Whitmer in the first round, but losing to
Colt Cabana Scott Colton (born May 6, 1980), better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same ...
in the second. At IWC's ''Revengeance'' show in September, Keenan defeated Al B. Damm to earn a match for the
IWC Heavyweight Championship The IWC World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship in the wrestling promotion, International Wrestling Cartel. The championship was first awarded March 17, 2001 when Powerhouse Hughes defeated Bubba ...
. He received his championship match on November 1, 2003, and defeated Dennis Gregory to win the championship. At ''Rebirth of Extreme'' on November 22, Keenan successfully retained the championship in a rematch against Gregory, and made further successful defences against Punk on December 12, Dean Radford on January 31, 2004, and February 24, and against Super Hentai on March 6. Two weeks later, on March 20, Keenan lost the IWC Heavyweight Championship to Radford, and failed to regain it in a rematch on April 3, and on April 17, when he lost a
Tables match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
to Radford. In July 2004, Keenan unsuccessfully challenged
Chris Sabin Joshua Harter (born February 4, 1982), better known by the ring name Chris Sabin, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 f ...
for the IWC Super Indy Championship. That December, after Sabin had vacated the IWC Super Indy Championship, Keenan won a four-way match against Petey Williams, Josh Prohibition, and John McChesney to win the vacant championship. He made a successful defense of the championship against
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (or A.J. Styles), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, ...
on February 24, 2005, and Claudio Castagnoli the following night. In April he retained the championship against Nate Webb, before losing a championship match to Justin Idol by countout in final championship defense on April 29, 2005. That same night, McChesney won the Super Indy Tournament, winning the championship as part of his victory, despite having not beaten Keenan. The next night, a match for the championship between Keenan and McChesney ended in a double countout. In March 2006, Keenan unsuccessfully challenged Doe for the IWC Heavyweight Championship. That September, Keenan was part of a tournament for the vacant IWC Heavyweight Championship, but was eliminated in the first round after losing to Ricky Reyes. On August 4, 2007, Keenan lost another match for the championship, this time to long-time rival Dennis Gregory, in what proved to be his final match in the company.


One Pro Wrestling (2005–2009)

Keenan made his debut for the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
-based 1 Pro Wrestling (1PW) at their inaugural show, ''A Cruel Twist of Fate'', on October 1, 2005, defeating D'Lo Brown. He quickly formed an alliance with
Abyss Abyss may refer to: Religion * Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld * Abyss (Thelema), a spiritual principle within the system of Thelema Film and television * ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film s ...
, and the pair defeated Sabu and
Ulf Herman Ulf Nadrowski (born April 4, 1966) is a German professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ulf Herman. He is best known in the United States for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling where he was part of The Full Blooded Ital ...
in a hardcore tag team match on January 7, 2006. In March, Keenan competed in a tournament to determine the inaugural 1PW Heavyweight Champion, but was defeated by
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (or A.J. Styles), is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, ...
in a quarter-final match. He moved on to
feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...
with Spud, defeating him on May 26 at ''Know Your Enemy Night One''. At ''Fight Club 2'' in July, Keenan defeated Spud in an Iron City Street Fight. Three weeks later, Keenan replaced
Matt Hyson Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing as Spike Dudley in the 1990s ...
in a tag team match, where he and Spud challenged
Jody Fleisch Jerome Fleisch (born 2 April 1980) is an England, English retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jody Fleisch. He is best known for his work with the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, One Pro Wrestling an ...
and
Jonny Storm Jonathan Whitcombe (born 19 April 1977) is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jonny Storm. He has worked for many independent promotions across the United Kingdom, including the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, Real ...
for the 1PW Tag Team Championship. They were unsuccessful after Keenan attacked Spud during the match. At ''Invincible'' in August, a tag team match featuring Keenan and Hyson versus Spud and
Teddy Hart Edward Ellsworth Annis (born February 2, 1980) is a Canadian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Teddy Hart. He currently wrestles on the independent circuit. He is one-half of the RCW (Real Canadian Wrestling) Tag Tea ...
ended in a no contest after several other wrestlers interfered, prompting a 10-man elimination tag team match, which Keenan's team won. At ''Resurrection'' in April 2007, Keenan challenged Romeo Roselli for the Nu-Wrestling Evolution Heavyweight Championship, but was disqualified for using the championship belt as a weapon. He then began challenging Ulf Herman for the 1PW Heavyweight Championship, but was unsuccessful in a four-way match on June 29 when Herman retained the championship. Keenan failed to win the championship again on June 30 and August 18. On October 13, at ''2nd Anniversary Show'', Keenan defeated Herman to win the championship in a
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
. Keenan successfully defended the championship against Doug Williams on January 25, 2008, and Martin Stone, Darren Burridge and Abyss in a four-way match the following night. His next defense was on October, when he lost to Johnny Moss via disqualification, and retaining the championship as a result. At the ''3rd Anniversary Show'' that same month, Keenan retained the championship against
Raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
. Keenan eventually lost the championship to Martin Stone on April 18, 2009 at ''To The Extreme'', ending his championship reign at 554 days. He continued to feud with Stone in an unsuccessful attempt to regain the championship throughout 2009, and made his final 1PW appearance at the ''4th Anniversary Show'' in November.


WWE (2006–2007; 2011–present)


Enhancement talent (2006–2007)

Before signing a contract with WWE, Keenan made several appearances for the company. On April 26, 2006, Keenan and CM Punk lost a
dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...
to The Gymini prior to the '' SmackDown'' taping. On June 6, 2006, Keenan teamed with Jon Bolen in a loss to Jamie Noble and Kid Kash. Keenan appeared on an episode of '' WWE Heat'' that was taped on August 6, losing to
Val Venis Sean Allen Morley (born March 6, 1971), better known by his ring name Val Venis, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE) from 1998 to 20 ...
. Keenan appeared on the August 10, 2007, episode of ''SmackDown!'', where he was easily squashed by
Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Henry is a two-time Olympian (1992 and 19 ...
.


Developmental territories (2011–2014)

In August 2011, it was reported that Polinsky had signed a developmental contract with WWE. Polinsky announced that he would be performing in WWE's developmental territory,
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until ...
(FCW), under the ring name Corey Graves. He debuted at the FCW television tapings on September 25, losing to Erick Rowan. The following year, on March 17, 2012, Graves won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship with Jake Carter by defeating Bo Rotundo and Husky Harris. When WWE
rebranded Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...
FCW into NXT, Graves and Carter participated in the inaugural tapings in June 2012. They defeated CJ Parker and Nick Rogers in a match that aired in July. Graves was re-established as a villainous singles wrestler on November 14 with a win over Oliver Grey; Following a submission victory over
Yoshi Tatsu is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Yoshi Tatsu. Yamamoto started his professional wrestling career under his real name in October 2002 with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he remaine ...
in December, Graves attacked the NXT Champion
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...
, and was awarded a title match on the January 2, 2013 episode of ''NXT''. Graves failed to capture the championship despite winning via disqualification following interference from Rollins' associates in
The Shield ''The Shield'' is an American crime drama television series created by Shawn Ryan and starring Michael Chiklis that aired on FX from March 12, 2002 to November 25, 2008 for seven seasons. The show is known for its portrayal of corrupt police ...
. After singles victories over former partner Carter and
Alex Riley Kevin Robert Kiley Jr. (born April 28, 1981) is an American former professional wrestler and commentator. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, under the ring name Alex Riley, where he was a participant in the second season of '' NXT''. Pr ...
, Graves faced Conor O'Brian in a number one contender's match; the match ended in a no contest after The Shield attacked both men, and Graves later lost in a triple threat number one contender's match. Graves transitioned into a feud with The Shield, challenging them to a match for costing him title opportunities, turning
face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...
in the process. He faced Rollins in a lumberjack match, which he lost when the other members of The Shield interfered, therefore cementing his face turn. In May, Graves began feuding with The Wyatt Family following a confrontation (and later match) with leader
Bray Wyatt Windham Lawrence Rotunda (May 23, 1987 – August 24, 2023), better known by his ring name Bray Wyatt, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure in WWE from 2009 until his death in 2023. Rotunda was a third-generati ...
. After being eliminated by Wyatt in a
battle royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...
, Graves teamed with Kassius Ohno to unsuccessfully challenge
Luke Harper Jonathan Huber (December 16, 1979 – December 26, 2020) was an American professional wrestler known as Brodie Lee. Huber performed under the ring name Luke Harper in WWE from 2012 to 2019, and as Mr. Brodie Lee in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) ...
and Erick Rowan for the
NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's Professional wrestling championship, professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT ...
, and Graves, Ohno, and Adrian Neville lost to The Wyatt Family in a six-man tag team match. After the Wyatts injured Ohno in storyline, Graves began regularly teaming with Neville, and on the July 18 episode of ''NXT'', they defeated Harper and Rowan to capture the NXT Tag Team Championship. The duo held the championship for nearly three months, before losing to The Ascension in September. After failing to regain the title, Graves attacked Neville to provoke a feud, thus turning heel. They traded victories, before Graves suffered a legitimate
concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...
, rendering him temporarily inactive. He returned in January 2014, to enter a feud with Sami Zayn. Graves defeated Zayn on April 3 but was defeated in a 6-man tag team match teaming with The Ascension against Zayn and
The Usos The Usos were a Samoan-American professional wrestling tag team which consisted of twin brothers Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are signed to WWE, where Jey performs on the WWE Raw, Raw brand while Jimmy performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), Sma ...
. Graves then suffered a second concussion, causing him to be absent from television for several months.


Pre-show panelist (2014–2015)

Graves returned on the NXT TakeOver: R Evolution pre-show on December 11, where he announced his official in-ring
retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
due to his concussion issues. He also announced that he would be joining NXT's commentary team with immediate effect, with his duties beginning at that event. Graves was then offered a two-year commentary contract by
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...
, and was later added to the pre-show panel for '' Raw''. He is also the host of '' WWE Culture Shock'', a
WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings. The service relied on technology develo ...
original series. In August 2015, following Dolph Ziggler's 2014 shout-out to the ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' fandom, March's reveal of Xavier Woods as a member of said fandom, and
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on th ...
being shamed in April by Ziggler about Bronies on TV, he attended
BronyCon BronyCon was an annual fan convention held on the East Coast of the United States for fans of ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'', among them adult and teenage My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom, bronies. Eleven events were held, wit ...
at the Baltimore Convention Center to investigate the fandom, where he dressed in an Applejack costume and interviewed Bronies. WWE released a free preview of the episode on August 26, 2015 following the August 22 NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn event and the August 23
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by the world's largest professional wrestling promotion, WWE. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind th ...
event.


Commentator (2016–present)

Following the 2016 WWE draft, it was announced that Graves would be joining the ''Raw'' commentary team. On July 25, on the first post brand split episode of ''Raw'', Graves began serving as a color commentator alongside Michael Cole and
Byron Saxton Bryan Jesús Kelly (born August 20, 1981) is an American professional wrestling Sports commentator, commentator, ring announcer, and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he works as a backstage interviewer on ''WWE SmackDown, ...
. On November 29, Graves joined the commentary team for the Cruiserweight division's
WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, a division of TKO Group Holdings. The service relied on technology develo ...
exclusive show, '' 205 Live'', alongside Mauro Ranallo and
Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, where he is a t ...
. Despite being drafted to ''Raw'', Graves continued to provide color commentary for ''NXT'' until the February 1, 2017 episode. On the pre-show for NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, Graves announced he would be leaving ''NXT'' after that event, with
Nigel McGuinness Steven Haworth (born 23 January 1972), better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English professional wrestling, professional wrestler and commentator. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he serves as a color commentato ...
taking his place on commentary. In March 2017, following Ranallo's absence from commentary and Aries' return to in-ring action, Graves would be joined by Tom Phillips on commentary for ''205 Live''. On the May 29 episode of ''Raw'', Graves would directly report to ''Raw'' general manager
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
about some "scandalous information" that was sent to him about Angle, with Angle telling Graves that if the news broke out, it would ruin him. On the June 19 episode of ''Raw'', as Angle tried to resolve the mystery of who attacked both Enzo and Cass over the last few weeks, Graves would show security footage of Big Cass faking his attack, which led to Cass revealing himself as the one who attacked Enzo Amore, before attacking Amore once again, officially disbanding the team. Graves would continue to support Angle about his personal information that was sent to him, which Angle would reveal on the July 17 episode of ''Raw'', announcing that Jason Jordan was his storyline son. On September 4, it was announced that Graves would also join the SmackDown Live announce team after
JBL JBL is an American audio equipment manufacturer headquartered in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. The company was founded in 1946 by James Bullough Lansing, an American audio engineer and loudspeaker designer. JBL currently serves the ho ...
departed from the company, making Graves the only current announcer to commentate both ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown Live'', as a heel color commentator. On September 26, 2019, WWE announced as a part of their "WWE Premiere Week" that a new commentary team will be on all three brands. Later, it was announced that Graves would now be a commentator and analyst only for SmackDown. On the April 12, 2021 edition of ''Raw'' after
WrestleMania 37 WrestleMania 37 was a 2021 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 37th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturday, April 10, and Sunday, April 11, 2021, at Raymond ...
, Graves returned to the Raw broadcast booth, replacing
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), better known by the ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Opps, and is one-third of the AEW Worl ...
. In turn, podcaster and radio show host Pat McAfee would replace Graves as the Friday Night SmackDown color commentator. On the November 8 edition of ''Raw'', Graves would pin
Akira Tozawa Akira Tozawa (戸澤 陽, ''Tozawa Akira'', born July 22, 1985) is a Japanese professional wrestler. As of 2016, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and is a member of the Alpha Academy St ...
at ringside to win the WWE 24/7 Championship, only to lose it immediately afterward to Byron Saxton. On February 11, 2022, Graves subbed in for Pat McAfee on an episode of ''Friday Night SmackDown''. On the April 4 episode of ''Raw'', after Graves' wife, Carmella, was attacked by her tag team partner,
Zelina Vega Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen (born December 27, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Zelina Vega and is the current Women's United States Champion in he ...
, for losing the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships at
Wrestlemania 38 WrestleMania 38 was a 2022 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 38th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturda ...
, Graves consoled her at ringside, eventually sharing a kiss between the two. As McAfee was hired by ESPN for its '' College GameDay'' coverage, Graves temporarily returned on the September 9 episode of ''SmackDown'' as a color commentator which this arrangement lasted until the end of the college football season. Graves returned to SmackDown as color commentator with Kevin Patrick joining in as play-by-play commentator on August 11, 2023. On February 2, 2024, Graves transitioned into the lead commentator role on SmackDown, serving alongside
Wade Barrett Stuart Alexander Bennett (born 10 August 1980) is an English acting, actor and former professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Wade Barrett as a color commentator on the ''WWE Sma ...
who replaced Kevin Patrick. On August 26, Graves returned to Raw to be a commentator with Michael Cole as Pat McAfee took a hiatus from WWE to return to ''College GameDay.'' At ''NXT'': New Year's Evil on January 7, 2025, Graves returned to NXT for the first time since 2017 as part of the revamped commentary team alongside Vic Joseph and
Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 194 ...
. However, the following week Graves criticized WWE's decision to move him from SmackDown to NXT. He said in a post on X that he would address his criticisms on NXT, but was reportedly pulled from the show. Graves returned to commentary on January 21.


Other media

Polinsky, as Corey Graves, made his video game debut as a playable character in ''
WWE 2K15 ''WWE 2K15'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K (company), 2K for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to ''WWE 2K14'', and was succeeded by ''WWE 2 ...
'', where on the
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
and
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
versions of the game, he has his own path in the "Who Got NXT" mode, documenting his matches in ''NXT'' and on the
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
and
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
versions as an unlockable character through the MyCareer mode. He later appeared in ''
WWE 2K18 ''WWE 2K18'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K (company), 2K. It is the nineteenth instalment in the WWE 2K, WWE game series (fifth under the ''WWE 2K'' banner) and a follow-up to ''WWE 2K17''. It wa ...
'', ''
WWE 2K19 ''WWE 2K19'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K. It was released worldwide on October 9, 2018, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the twentieth game in the ''WWE'' series, th ...
'', ''
WWE 2K20 ''WWE 2K20'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It was released worldwide on October 22, 2019, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the twenty-first installment of the ...
'', ''
WWE 2K22 ''WWE 2K22'' is a 2022 professional wrestling sports video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the twenty-second overall installment of the video game series based on WWE, the eighth game under the ''WWE 2K'' banner, a ...
'', '' WWE 2K23'' and '' WWE 2K24'' as a non-playable character as part of the commentary team. Polinsky was a part of '' E:60'' documentary: "WWE: Behind the Curtain". From October 2015 to April 2016, Polinsky wrote a monthly column for ''
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political r ...
'' entitled "Stay Loud." The column covered the intersection of wrestling and music. Polinsky has also delved into the fashion industry with Fatal Clothing's "Stay Down" collection. Polinsky, as his Corey Graves persona, launched his own
podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...
(produced by WWE and Endeavor Audio) titled ''WWE After the Bell'', which debuted in October 2019. In June 2020, he would launch a second podcast called ''Bare with Us'' alongside his real life wife Leah Van Dale, where the two discuss different issues regarding relationships including issues within their own.


Filmography


Personal life

Polinsky is of Hungarian descent. His father and younger brother are also involved in professional wrestling. His father Dan is a
professional wrestling promoter A promoter works with event production and entertainment industries to promote their productions, including in music and sports. Promoters are individuals or organizations engaged in the business of marketing and promoting live, or pay-per-view ...
, and his younger brother Sam is a professional wrestler best known under the ring name "Sam Adonis", and has notably competed in Mexico for
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as (EMLL) (''Mexican Wrestling Enterprise''). Founded in 1933, it is the oldest profe ...
(CMLL) and
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Promociones Antonio Peña, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (commonly referred to as simply AAA, pronounced "Triple A" – an abbreviation of its original name Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos ...
, and the
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
(NWA). As of 2020, he and his ex-wife, Amy (Schneider) Polinsky, have three children together. Outside of professional wrestling, Polinsky is a professional piercer. After training as an apprentice at the request of a friend of his who needed a piercer in his tattoo shop, he has worked in the Naughty Vibrations shop in
Greensburg, Pennsylvania Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 14,976 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located southeast of Pittsburgh, Greensburg is a part of the Greater Pittsbu ...
and in a shop named True Image in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. Polinsky is known for his numerous tattoos. He got two of them before the age of 16 with his parents' permission, and after turning 18, got sleeve tattoos on both his arms, made up of several clearly visible and separate tattoos tied together with designs. He also has tattoos on his neck, and has the words "stay down" tattooed across his
knuckle The knuckles are the joints of the fingers. The word is cognate to similar words in other Germanic languages, such as the Dutch "knokkel" (knuckle) or German "Knöchel" (ankle), i.e., ''Knöchlein'', the diminutive of the German word for bone ( ...
s. Polinsky is described as a typical
yinzer Yinzer is a 20th-century term playing on the Pittsburghese second-person plural vernacular "yinz." The word is used among people who identify themselves with the city of Pittsburgh and its traditions. History "Yinzer" (or "Yunzer") was histo ...
and often shows pride in being from Pittsburgh on WWE programming, often mentioning his bar-hopping on Pittsburgh's South Side and mentioning his favorite places to visit. He did, however, admit that upon joining the WWE commentary team he had to significantly tone down his natural Pittsburghese dialect only to see fellow Pittsburgh native Pat McAfee become successful on WWE commentary because of it. In early 2019, Polinsky's ex-wife posted a picture to her Instagram page stating that Polinsky had been having an affair with WWE wrestler Leah Van Dale, known by the ring name Carmella. The post was deleted shortly after and it was confirmed that the pair had already been separated and were already in the divorce process. Their relationship was later profiled in the 9th season of the reality show '' Total Divas''. In October 2021, Van Dale and Polinsky got engaged. The two were married on April 7, 2022. In October 31, 2022, his wife revealed in her instagram account, that she had an
ectopic pregnancy Ectopic pregnancy is a complication of pregnancy in which the embryo attaches outside the uterus. Signs and symptoms classically include abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, but fewer than 50 percent of affected women have both of these sympto ...
, which caused a
miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...
. On May 1, 2023, the couple announced they were once again expecting on Instagram. On November 8, 2023, their son was born. On April 29, 2025, Polinsky and Van Dale announced that they were expecting their second child.


Legacy

Legendary Professional wrestling commentator and WWE Hall of Famer
Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator, sports announcer, and podcaster, better known by the ring name Jim Ross (often shortened to JR). He is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he ...
has stated that "Graves is the brightest young on-air talent that WWE has developed in years". Fellow WWE commentator and broadcast colleague, Michael Cole has praised Graves stating "We gave him a chance and he really worked hard at it. This didn't come to him easy. He put a lot of time in at the Performance Center, and hours and hours of work. "We put him on Raw, and he took off. He's the new guy, he's the new heel. "He's got a unique presence, he's got sarcasm and he's got wit, and he also has the experience of being in the ring, being a former NXT tag team champion. He has everything. A good looking young kid - he's the future of what we do here". Professional wrestling promoter and booker
Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...
has praised Graves as an "amazingly talented guy" and "an exceptional talent". Bischoff also further reiterated that Graves is "Very different, has his own way about him. He's got a vibe and an approach to the business that I really love, and I think it makes him unique. But think about that. Think about how much wrestling, how many stories, think about what Corey Graves in particular had to do every week. Unless you've done that job, even if you've done that job, it's hard to imagine". Professional wrestling Legend and WWE Hall of Famer
Arn Anderson Martin Anthony Lunde (born September 20, 1958), better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Agent, road agent, author, and retired professional wrestler. Although he ...
, has also praised Graves stating "He obviously has the in-ring background, he has a cool look, it feels like he's 'inside baseball' enough and up on his stuff where 'smart fans' can enjoy his work, he checks Vince's boxes". "Just his appearance alone made you pay attention and he appealed to a younger crowd and I think you have to have a mix of different announcers that cover and check different boxes just like you have talent and Corey was a guy that was opinionated. I don't how much of those opinions were his own and those projected for him to have, but he fits in with that younger demographic and you're always wanting to grab that, that's for sure." Fellow WWE commentator colleague and broadcast partner
Byron Saxton Bryan Jesús Kelly (born August 20, 1981) is an American professional wrestling Sports commentator, commentator, ring announcer, and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he works as a backstage interviewer on ''WWE SmackDown, ...
has praised Graves stating "there's been so many greats but when you look at Jesse enturaand Bobby eenanand all these great color guys, The King erry Lawler who have been in this company, you know, Corey ravesis right up there. He is so talented, he is so witty and it's a blessing for this company to have someone as talented as he is and I'm very fortunate I've been able to work with him as long as I have".


Championships and accomplishments

* 1 Pro Wrestling ** 1PW Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) *Absolute Intense Wrestling **AIW Absolute Championship (1 time) * Ballpark Brawl **Natural Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Far North Wrestling **FNW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *
Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until ...
** FCW Florida Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Jake Carter * Funkin' Conservatory **FC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Cage *
International Wrestling Cartel International Wrestling Cartel is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by Justin Plummer, has become the longest tenured owner. Norm Connors ran the promotion for ...
**
IWC Heavyweight Championship The IWC World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling heavyweight championship in the wrestling promotion, International Wrestling Cartel. The championship was first awarded March 17, 2001 when Powerhouse Hughes defeated Bubba ...
(1 time) ** IWC Super Indy Championship (1 time) *NWA East **NWA East Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ** NWA East Tag Team Championships (1 time) – with Mad Mike **NWA North American Tag Team Championships (1 time) – with Brandon K *
One Pro Wrestling One Pro Wrestling (abbreviated as 1PW) was a British professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion. 1PW was founded in 2005 by Steven Gauntley. Originally run by the now defunct retail chain 1 Up Games, the company's headq ...
** 1PW World Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) *''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' **Ranked No. 118 of the top 500 wrestlers in the ''
PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' in 2013 *
Pro Wrestling Zero1 , often referred to simply as Zero1 and sometimes referred to as Pro Wrestling Zero1 Catch as Catch Can (stylized as ZERO1 and PRO WRESTLING ZERO1 CATCH AS CATCH CAN, respectively), is a Professional wrestling in Japan, Japanese professional wre ...
** Zero-One United States Heavyweight Championship ( 2 times) *Renegade Wrestling Alliance **RWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *Union of Independent Professional Wrestlers **UIPW Keystone Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) *Wolverine Pro Wrestling **WPW Championship (1 time) *
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
**
NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's Professional wrestling championship, professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT ...
( 1 time) – with Adrian Neville ** WWE 24/7 Championship ( 1 time) *''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...
'' ** Worst Television Announcer (2019, 2021, 2022)


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Corey 1984 births American male professional wrestlers American sports podcasters American color commentators American professional wrestling announcers Body piercers Living people Professional wrestlers from Pittsburgh American people of Hungarian descent Professional wrestling podcasters NXT Tag Team Champions WWE 24/7 Champions 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Pennsylvania