WWE: Corey Graves, Renee Young Ready To Be Voices Of A Generation

Now that Renee Young is a full-time commentator on WWE Raw after impressing the promotion’s upper brass on two separate occasions, she and Corey Graves are prepared to be voices of a generation.

Commentary in all sports can elevate moments and can often immortalize great moments. Think about the chills you get when Jim Ross yells “As God is my witness, he is broken in half!”. And how much more iconic is Shawn Michaels’s turn on Marty Jannetty with Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon’s comments in your memory?

WWE Raw now has two exciting, young voices flanking Michael Cole, who bridges the gap from past to present while simultaneously handling the difficult play-by-play role with grace. Heel commentator Corey Graves has been a mainstay on Raw for years, and his work on SmackDown Live has enriched our experiences on Tuesday night. But it is the newest voice on the Raw announce team, Renee Young, who offers the most promise for the future of WWE commentary.

Last month, when Johnathan Coachman was on assignment, Young became the first woman to sit in the booth for a full episode of Monday Night Raw. Yesterday before Raw, WWE officially announced that the versatile, talented Young will be Raw’s full-time babyface commentator.

The news was met with widespread praise, because it’s extremely rare to find anyone who isn’t support of Young. That is a huge endorsement. WWE fans are generally an impassioned, divided fan base, so the fact that Young has their unanimous backing is a testament to her ability to connect with an audience as a true professional in this industry.

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Graves, 34, and Young, 32, could conceivably commentate for decades, just as Cole will. There’s been a trend for WWE to lean on using younger voices on commentary, with the SmackDown trio of Tom Phillips (29), Byron Saxton (37), and Graves being an example of that.

What makes the duo of Graves and Young so special, though, is the chemistry they possess together. Young brings a unique voice on the commentary team as the first woman in this position in WWE history, and Graves immediately didn’t shy away from hiding that last night.

During a match between Nikki Bella and Ruby Riott, Graves probed Young for some insight into how the women’s locker room perceives The Bellas. Do they still look up to Nikki and Brie, who are veterans of the business and wrestled before WWE started their women’s revolution, or is there a different vibe?

In kayfabe, Graves wouldn’t necessarily know, and, in reality, he probably wouldn’t have as good of a grasp as Young (a woman) would. Young affirmed that the women of today do look up to the Bella Twins in the locker room.

While a small touch that likely went unnoticed by most viewers, this was an important step made by Graves. He showed a willingness to highlight the fact that Young’s insight on the women’s division can make her a huge asset. In the future, if WWE signs wrestlers from this year’s Mae Young Classic, Cole could do the same by bringing callbacks to the MYC if a debuting talent arrives.

WWE’s history of misogyny will never be erased, but by giving Young this opportunity to break the mold and excel as an engaged part of the show, positive steps are being made. It will be interesting to see how Young adds to the women’s segments, particularly because we’ve seen Graves pretend to “report” information during matches.

Could Young do something similar to give insight to the wrestlers? She’s done so many interviews and used to talk about superstars’ lives in her “Unfiltered” show, so this may be something to watch for.

Credit: WWE.com

More fundamentally, Young is just damn good at her job. Not only is she well-researched, quick-witted, insightful, and just plain fun, but she’s also excellent at working with a heel commentator. Whereas Saxton will occasionally make quizzical points or fail to respond appropriately for Graves’s ridiculousness, Young won’t hesitate to shut down Graves’s outrageous heel comments by either dismissing his illogical remarks or fighting fire-with-fire by being snarky.

The balance between a heel and face commentator can add so much to a wrestling show, as evidenced by the legendary duo of Monsoon and Heenan. Young and Graves, as they have shown for years, have the potential to be just as iconic.

In their early 30’s, these two real-life friends have the opportunity to become voices of a generation of wrestling programming, providing memories, laugh-out-loud barbs, and spine-shuddering soundbites for years to come.