NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan has responded to Grayson Waller’s claim that the brand’s women’s division has surpassed its men’s division.
Waller made a surprise appearance on the July 28 episode of WWE NXT, where he expressed frustration over his lack of main roster opportunities during the previous two years while taking aim at NXT’s men’s roster. However, Waller had considerably more praise for the women, claiming that NXT’s women’s division had “lapped” the men.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Jordan said Waller’s comments were well received by the women’s locker room, although she could understand why the male talent might feel differently.
“On the women’s side, we think what Grayson said was awesome,” Jordan said. “He put over the women and said we are killing it. He gave us our props. If I were a male in the division, I’d be a little pissed and hurt. I’d have a bigger chip on my shoulder going into any match or promo with Grayson.”
Jordan acknowledged that Waller has upset plenty of people since returning to NXT but said that’s hardly surprising given his personality. “I’d be ready to prove him wrong,” she continued. “He has ruffled a lot of feathers, but are we surprised? It’s Grayson. I’m not surprised.”
The newly crowned NXT Women’s Champion also expressed pride in the current strength of the division, arguing that its performers shouldn’t simply be viewed as great women’s wrestlers but as great professional wrestlers overall. “It’s a huge sense of pride because not only do I feel like the women’s division is killing it, but we’re not just good wrestlers for women; we’re just great wrestlers in general,” Jordan said. “We’ve been able to show that time and time again. It feels good being a woman and having the men suffer over there while we’re thriving. People are like, ‘I’m tuning in for the women.’”
Jordan pointed to the increased number of main events and lengthy matches involving NXT’s women’s division as evidence of how far women’s wrestling has progressed.
She specifically referenced her 23-minute match with Kendal Grey and the trust Shawn Michaels has placed in the division. “The fact that the women are main eventing so many shows now, it’s so cool to see the evolution of women’s wrestling throughout the years,” she continued. “Even talking to Nattie about it from when she was in NXT for a time, and how much it’s grown and how much time women get. Kendal and I went 23 minutes, and it’s super cool to know Shawn trusts us to go that long.”
Jordan captured the NXT Women’s Championship at Heatwave 2026 and is already preparing for her first title defense.
She will put the championship on the line against Jaida Parker on tonight’s September 8 episode of WWE NXT from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
