WWE NXT Champion Grayson Waller has pushed back against suggestions that his return to NXT was a demotion, revealing that Shawn Michaels personally asked him to come back to the brand.
During an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Waller addressed the online narrative surrounding his move back to NXT and made it clear that he wasn’t simply sent back to developmental. “I didn’t get sent back to NXT. There is a narrative online that I got demoted. [Sarcastically], ‘Oh, I have to be on national television every Tuesday, that’s so tough.’ There is a narrative online that I got demoted. That is not true.
There was a phone call from someone who asked to meet with me. I spoke with him. This is a person I respect more than anyone. His opinion means more than anyone. He asked me to come back to NXT. He asked me because the men’s division wasn’t ready. He didn’t have anyone. No one was causing havoc. Everyone wanted the title; no one needed it.”
Waller explained that his history with NXT and his desire to capture the brand’s top championship made accepting the opportunity an easy decision. “He knows how much I love this place and how much I love wrestling and how much this title meant to me because I never had it. He asked me to come back, and I said, ‘Hell yeah.’”
Waller went on to identify Michaels as the person who has continued to believe in him, despite acknowledging that the WWE Hall of Famer may not always agree with his approach. “Maybe the way I do things, Shawn isn’t a huge fan of, but he knows the passion I have and the talent I have. I truly believe that Shawn Michaels is the only person who has recently believed in me. I’ll run through a wall for that guy, and that’s what I’m doing right now.”
Waller’s return has already resulted in the biggest championship victory of his NXT career. He captured the NXT Championship at Heatwave, winning a Fatal Four-Way match against Tony D’Angelo, Zilla Fatu and Cruz Montana.
Rather than viewing his return as a step backward, Waller sees it as an opportunity entrusted to him by Michaels to help elevate an NXT men’s division that he believes needed someone to shake things up.
