Originally published on ProWrestlingSheet.
Mauro Ranallo allegedly went home from Survivor Series before the show due to comments made by Corey Graves on Twitter the night before, and now Graves is publicly apologizing.
As you'll recall, WWE claimed Ranallo was not present on commentary like Beth Phoenix and Nigel McGuinness because he had blown his voice out at TakeOver: WarGames.
However, Ranallo apparently left the show over a Tweet from Corey on Saturday night that said: "Just for the record guys, I know you wouldn't know it, but there's actually a WWE Hall of Famer AND a former Ring of Honor Champion on commentary. I'd imagine they have a lot to offer." He also commented on the number of Chicago rap references made during the TakeOver broadcast, saying there were "far, far too many."
According to sources, Corey wrote those tweets to play into the brand warfare element of Survivor Series and the SmackDown announcer planned to bring them up on commentary in a joking manner when he was joined by Mauro at the desk the following day.
Michael Cole claimed during Survivor Series that Mauro would be back for NXT on USA Network on Wednesday, but last night POST Wrestling reported he will no longer be at the show. We've confirmed the report is accurate with sources.
As for Corey's apology, here's what he said in full on his After the Bell podcast:
"On a personal note, I needed to address something. This past Saturday, during the 'Takeover: WarGames' event, I sent out a tweet. It was an unpopular opinion, as I often do with the intention of just stirring up a little controversy, maybe have something fun to talk about on TV or here on the show. It was maybe not the most professional way to go about things, and it was never meant to offend or disrespect or disparage anybody. That was never my intention. If it was taken as such, I apologize deeply. That was not my intention. I would never intentionally cause anybody undue stress, especially a co-worker. So, I apologize."
The apology can be heard below at the top of the show.