Grayson Waller reveals "the blueprint" of his WWE talk show
WWE Superstar Grayson Waller moved to the main roster from NXT getting picked during the 2023 Draft. Within the next year, he formed a tag team with Austin Theory and claimed gold in the division. Perhaps The Aussie Icon's biggest achievement is producing entertaining moments on his in-ring talk show, The Grayson Waller Effect.
According to him, it would not have been possible without WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and the latter's talk show, Piper's Pit.
Speaking on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, Grayson Waller credited the late WWE legend for "the blueprint" of his talk show. He watched and studied Piper's Pit before bringing it to NXT, and then to SmackDown:
"He’s one of the guys. I watched every Piper’s Pit before my first Grayson Waller Effect. I think he is the blueprint for talk shows in wrestling because it was always about him but it also wasn’t," he stated.
Waller further acknowledged the hate he gets as a performer, noting that it is the whole point of what he does. The former WWE Tag Team Champion added that Roddy Piper brought the magic through his talk show, as he was always able to catch the attention of anyone who was watching it, devoid of whether they are a wrestling fan or not:
"He was using himself as a way to tell people stories. Just his energy and his vibe and how wild he was, that’s entertainment. That’s wrestling. For those flops online that hate talk shows, that’s what a talk show should be; what he does. I think, even if you’re not a wrestling fan, you can watch Roddy Piper and have no idea who’s involved and that segment is gonna have you paying attention." [From 31:05 onwards]
Over the last year, Waller has brought in quality guests such as John Cena, Edge, AJ Styles, and Charlotte Flair, among others.
Grayson Waller's dream guest is WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus
When asked who he wishes to bring to The Grayson Waller Effect, The Aussie Icon stated that before he could think of anybody else, it has to be Trish Stratus, whom he has already mentioned in the past. Waller praised Stratus as a performer and really hopes to bring her to his talk show.
Trish Stratus was last seen at Money in the Bank in July. She hosted the premium live event which emanated in her hometown of Toronto, Canada. Her last work with WWE was her rivalry with Becky Lynch which happened last year.
If you use any of the quotes, please credit INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.