"Makes me sad he's not like that anymore" - Top WWE star shares honest thoughts about Shawn Michaels (Exclusive)
WWE NXT star Grayson Waller recently opened up about Shawn Michaels, with whom he was recently embroiled in a heated on-screen feud.
The Heartbreak Kid is currently in charge of WWE NXT, where he's responsible for all the booking decisions and the creative direction of the brand. Though he has only sporadically appeared on-screen since assuming backstage responsibility, Michaels became a regular fixture on TV during his feud with Grayson Waller.
The feud culminated at NXT: Stand and Deliver 2023, where Waller lost to Johnny Gargano, who Shawn Michaels handpicked to face the 33-year-old.
Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling's Emily Mae, Grayson Waller first praised Michaels for being a trendsetter during his time. However, the NXT star believes the WWE Hall of Famer is now only a shadow of his former self.
"Obviously, very cool because, at the end of the day, nobody can compete with Shawn. In the ring, he did whatever he wanted, he said whatever he wanted to, and it's kind of the similar energy that I have. It makes me sad he's not like that anymore," said Grayson Waller.
Waller added that he was perplexed that Shawn Michaels was trying to stop him from behaving the way he himself used to in his heyday.
"He has kind of went corporate, and he kind of, in a lot of ways, doesn't want me to act that like, which is wild to me because this is what you did. But obviously, he's grown up; he's a different man now. For a lot of people, being in the ring with Shawn would be a career highlight; for me, it was just another Tuesday." (4:30 - 4:56)
Check out the full video below:
Grayson Waller on learning from WWE's coaching staff
Elsewhere in the chat, Waller spoke about learning from WWE's coaching staff, which includes Fit Finlay, Terry Taylor, and Robbie Brookside, among others. Grayson Waller explained that the biggest learning he had from the veterans was that one needs to know how to grab an opportunity at the right time.
"We have the coaching staff there every day. You know, we [have] got Fit Finlay, Terry Taylor, [and] Robbie Brookside. These are amazing guys who've got so much knowledge, and so just talking to them and kind of getting the advice about when the opportunity is there, you gotta take it. I think that's the main thing I have learned from them that 'We can teach you to wrestle, but it's up to you to make that happen,'" added Waller. (3:11 - 3:30)
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Grayson Waller won a fatal four-way match on last week's WWE NXT to earn a shot at Carmelo Hayes' NXT Championship.
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