WWE announcer Corey Graves and former WWE NXT talent turned indie announcer Alyssa Marino had a viral exchange on Twitter this week.
The exchange began when Marino criticized the work of other commentators.
“When an announce team can’t ‘focus’ on a match and is constantly commenting on the physical appearance of competitors (especially when it’s women in the ring), it’s time to find professional broadcasters who can tell the story without being ‘distracted’ by the athletes. I don’t often share my takes on things, but I work hard to prepare myself as a broadcaster. I’ve studied how great commentary teams can elevate matches, but it’s really grating to hear announcers get lost in how attractive they think competitors are in the midst of a match,” she wrote.
Marino did not name Graves, but he responded and suggested she find a different field than sports entertainment.
He responded, “Well then, I suggest you find a different field than sports entertainment. If you can’t differentiate between a TV character and an ACTUAL journalist, then I don’t trust anything you have to say. Good luck.”
One fan responded to Graves and wrote, “Responding to criticism regarding how you talk about women by telling a woman that she’s in the wrong line of work probably isn’t a good move but you do you”
Graves responded and mentioned how he’s speaking about a character portrayed by his actual fiancee, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Carmella, and knocked the man for his virtue signaling.
“Responding to criticism about how I speak ON TV about a CHARACTER portrayed by my ACTUAL fiancé trumps any of your ‘woke’ bullshit…but you do you…You’re welcome for the virtue signal boost,” he wrote.
Graves then posted a follow-up tweet and wrote, “In 2021, being engaged to an absolutely, wildly talented, beautiful woman, and talking about how amazingly beautiful and talented I think she is on TV because we work at the same place is somehow offensive to some people Twitter. Call me the ‘troll buffet.'”
Graves has received a lot of support from fans and people in the business, but as you might imagine, he’s also being criticisced for his response.
You can see the full exchange below:
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