Grayson Waller is an absolute force in NXT. The first-ever winner of the Iron Survivor Challange who near-immediately used his place as the #1 contender to the NXT World Championship belt to cheapshot Bron Breakker after his win over Apollo Crews at Deadl1ne, sooner or later, Waller is going to be a main event player on either WWE RAW or SmackDown, and as a result, fans have started to disparage his efforts, calling the heel nothing more than a “Millenial Miz.”
Fortunately, Waller has absolutely no issue with being compared to the 42-year-old 20-time champion, as he detailed to Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick on After the Bell.
“When I did the ‘Grayson Waller Effect’ with Apollo Crews and he said I was a Miz ripoff or whatever terrible thing he tried to say that the NXT audience thought was funny, I laughed, because I was like ‘How is being compared to The Miz a bad thing? How is being compared to The Miz the bad thing?’” Waller asked. “He main-evented WrestleMania, he’s on RAW every single week, he steals the show, he’s always doing something, he’s doing media appearances, everyone knows who The Miz is, he has a reality show. Why would I take offense at someone saying I’m The Miz? If I’m the Miz, h*ll yeah, that’s awesome for me. That means my career’s gone real well lad, and I have all the respect in the world for him, you know? I watched him on The Real World, and now we have, like, similar friends. Mark Long, and a few other guys from The Challenge that I’m friends with, too. So, I hope people keep calling me The Miz. That’s great.”
Considering Waller's heelish activities, talk show, and general disposition, comparing Waller to The Miz is natural, but for the Australian sensation to really take a step forward and become his own main roster superstar, he'll need to step out on his own and differentiate himself from the “Main Eventer.” Fortunately, Waller has the perfect plan to do just that.
Grayson Waller described the key difference between himself and Miz in WWE.
Alright, so if Waller is fine with being compared to The Miz and even appreciates being put in the same category as the Triple Crown champion, how, Graves asked, would the “21st Century Success Story” separate himself from the star of Miz and Mrs? Ever the talker, Waller laid out the key difference between himself and The Miz and backed up his thesis with a ton of evidence.
“The one thing about The Miz is, I think, at the end of the day, I think people know The Miz is a good guy, too, you know?” Waller said. “He’s doing all these media appearances, like, he’s obviously who he is, but he’s a good guy too. I’m not. I don’t care if anyone likes me. I don’t want anyone to like me lad. I never go in a room- I’m at this PC right now, no once can stand me. The coaches can’t stand me, the talent, but I don’t care because I’m not here for that. I didn’t leave my family and friends back home to come here and make friends. I came here to be a superstar, and I’m gonna do whatever it takes, and say whatever it takes, and I think that differentiates me.”
“You see these things I’m saying online, no one will say it, but I’m at least real, I’m at least honest. I would rather be, like, a real a—h*le than a fake ‘nice guy,’ and I say that all the time. I am who I am. So I think there’s comparisons, but also in the ring, no one can touch me. Like, I know there’s a lot of super athletes here who played volleyball, did gymnastics three times in college, but like, I can do anything in that ring and you never know what you’re gonna see from me, you know? Everyone knows the Stunner, what a move, but no one hits the Stunner like Grayson Waller. Macho Man Elbow, what an elbow, but Macho never hit that elbow drop like I do, he’s not putting his hands between the legs, like, I’m a full-on showman, so as much as people compare me to The Miz, I’m Grayson Waller. I’m the first Grayson Waller, and there is no one who can do what I do.”
Ever the modest lad, Waller's assertion is hard to argue with – the proprietor of “The Grayson Waller Effect” is truly a heel through and through, and much like MJF, it's hard to imagine that he'll flip that switch in the hopes of appealing to a more mass audience mainstream appearances or semi-scripted reality television programs. Then again, what's more entertaining than an unapologetic heel that gets his boos by being a mix between a mustache-twirling villain and Tim Curry? In a world where wrestlers flip from feel to face rather without prejudice depending on the asks of any particular story, it's nice to know performers like Waller are still busting their behind becoming the best – or should I say worst – people around at their crafts.
Matty Breisch is a Senior Editor who specializes in NFL and WWE for ClutchPoints. He also has bylines at Heavy, Fansided, The Needle Drop, and Philadelphia Sports Network.
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