5 Replacements for Corey Graves on WWE SmackDown

Brock Lesnar hit Corey Graves with two F5s on last week's episode of WWE SmackDown. Graves pleaded with The Beast to leave Michael Cole alone because he was about to interview Lesnar ahead of Wrestlepalooza.

Cole walked away and finished the night on commentary, but Graves was taken to a medical facility. The Miz joined Cole for commentary for the rest of the evening.

If Graves is set to miss some time to sell the attack or for any other reason, someone will need to take his place on Friday nights. The next five personalities could fill in for Corey Graves on SmackDown commentary.

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#5. NXT's Vic Joseph

One replacement for Corey Graves on SmackDown could be Vic Joseph of NXT. Joseph has been the voice and play-by-play commentator for NXT since mid-2020.

He's witnessed the transition to the 2.0 brand as well as the move back to a standard presentation. WWE often mixes and matches its announcers.

Joseph might receive a call-up to one of the main roster shows as a partial or permanent replacement for Graves.

Filling in a few times recently could have been a dry run to see if he could move from calling a smaller show to the bigger stage of SmackDown.

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#4. Wade Barrett was already on SmackDown

There have been many changes in commentary over the past month across RAW, SmackDown, and NXT. Wade Barrett was on SmackDown but then took some pre-planned time off before returning for Wrestlepalooza.

He’s proven that he can work on any show and is a good mouthpiece for the villainous stars of WWE. Both sides need representation, rather than the announcers always favoring one star over the other.

Cole and Pat McAfee did this with Jey Uso. If Graves doesn’t return anytime soon, Barrett could permanently move back to the blue brand as an announcer.

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#3. Booker T keeps NXT fans and stars on their toes

Just like Vic Joseph moving from NXT to the main roster now and then, Hall of Famer Booker T did the same earlier this September. Over the past year, he's called NXT with Joseph and occasionally Graves.

Despite his outlandish remarks and comments, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer offers fans a distinct take and style compared to the straight-laced play-by-play announcers.

His reaction to Stephanie Vaquer’s Devil’s Kiss move popularized it so much that fans cheered for it every time La Primera delivered it on an opponent.

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#2. The Miz fills in where needed

After Graves was injured by Brock Lesnar last week, The Miz filled in on commentary with Michael Cole. He even called his friend Carmelo Hayes’ match during the show.

The Miz has often been on commentary in the past because of his quick wit and ability to dissect the action in the ring quickly.

If he isn’t in a prominent angle and his partnership with Hayes is about to end, he could move to the commentary desk for a short period.

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#1. Kevin Owens could return to SmackDown

One name that has been absent from programming since the WrestleMania season is Kevin Owens. After requiring surgery for an unfortunate neck injury, The Prizefighter has been off WWE TV.

While he’s currently injured and recovering, there’s no reason he couldn’t join commentary from time to time. He’s one of the funniest and most insightful performers, as shown by his promos over the years.

Using Owens as a part-time replacement could also potentially set up a return feud if he's medically cleared to compete.