WWE NXT Champion Grayson Waller spoke with Stephanie McMahon on What’s Your Story? about various topics, including why the NXT Championship means more to him than winning the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 40.
Waller said, “This championship means so much for me because I think I was on such a down that I didn’t know there was going to be another up. I thought I was done. I could really feel it. So winning this title meant so much to me because I didn’t see that happening. In the moment, it meant everything. I won the tag titles at WrestleMania. Winning this meant more because I felt like I earned it more. I did more to make it happen than I did at WrestleMania, because WrestleMania was the climb. That’s just naturally how it went. This one I had to fight for. I had to make it happen myself. So this title means everything. I love NXT. I love representing NXT as their champion. They’re going to have to kill me to take it off me. And I mean that. I’m telling every single one of you to your face, there is nothing you can do. You will never outwork me. There is nothing you can do to take that from me. Until there’s someone ready to take it from me, I’m down there.”
On the ups and downs of a WWE career:
“There’s a few of us who always say that WWE is great when you’re on that rise, where everything’s going well, but there’s like two guys who have that for life. For everyone else, it becomes a roller coaster. But it’s those downs where you work out who you are and how much you want this and what it means to you. Without the down, the up doesn’t mean the same.”
On Shawn Michaels:
“Everything in my life is because of Shawn Michaels. I don’t mind saying that. He gave me opportunities before I deserved them or before I was ready, but it was because he believed in me. And even now, he gave me my second chance to come back and do something, and everything I’m doing is because of what he’s taught me. When I originally got drafted, I told him, ‘Anything you ever need, tell me. I’m like a soldier.’ So I’ve been going back to NXT for about three years. Whenever they needed me, even if it was just a live event loop, I’d go back and do it. I want to be around. I want to help. I want to do the tryouts. So it’s not like I’m just randomly back in NXT out of nowhere. I’ve been in that system. I know what Shawn wants. I think a lot of it I owe to Shawn because he’s given me a lot of opportunities to be in that position. But I’ve also put myself there by telling him, ‘Hey, this random loop, I’ll go do it. I’ll wrestle whoever you want.’ Who’s the guy? ‘This is the guy. We’re not sure if he’s good.’ I’ll wrestle him, and then I’ll let you know if he’s really good, and I tell him the truth. So we’ve developed that relationship where he trusts me, and I trust him fully.”
On Michaels being his favorite growing up:
“He was my favorite wrestler growing up, so it’s weird. I’m more respectful of him as a person than I am of him as a wrestler, which is crazy, because he’s the greatest wrestler of all time. But all the things I’ve learned from him, and I’ve got a house now, I’ve got all these things, that’s because of him taking a chance on me. So whatever he needs, I’m a soldier now.”
You can check out the complete podcast below.
