Grayson Waller’s return to WWE NXT reportedly came with significant plans from the beginning, including a quick decision to position him at the top of the brand.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, the decision to crown Waller as NXT Champion at Heatwave came together shortly after WWE moved him from Raw back to NXT.
Once Shawn Michaels received confirmation that Waller would remain with NXT for the foreseeable future, the possibility of putting the championship on him reportedly surfaced almost immediately.
There are said to be several people within WWE who believe Waller has considerable upside as one of NXT’s leading heels.
Waller captured the NXT Championship at Heatwave on August 30, defeating Tony D’Angelo, Zilla Fatu and Cruz Montana in a Fatal 4-Way match.
As for D’Angelo, his championship loss reportedly shouldn’t be interpreted as an indication that WWE has cooled on him.
Despite dropping the title, there currently doesn’t appear to be a main roster call-up planned for D’Angelo. His name reportedly hasn’t been discussed for a move to Raw or SmackDown.
Instead, D’Angelo is expected to remain involved in NXT storylines and is already scheduled to compete in a six-man tag team match on the September 8 episode.
For now, WWE appears set to move forward with Waller as one of the central figures on NXT while D’Angelo remains a significant part of the brand following the conclusion of his title reign.
