WWE NXT’s Grayson Waller Addresses Comparisons to AEW’s MJF

It didn’t take long for Grayson Waller to make a name for himself after debuting in WWE NXT, and ever since he’s been one of the brand’s most entertaining stars. Waller has never shied away from confrontation and always speaks his mind, even if that’s to the head of NXT Shawn Michaels. That’s led to some offering up comparisons to AEW World Champion MJF, who is one of AEW’s most popular stars and has no problem telling people what’s on his mind either. ComicBook.com’s Connor Casey had the opportunity to speak to Waller about those comparisons, and while they both know how to talk on the microphone, Waller feels the similarities don’t go much further.

When asked if he’s ever met MJF and what he thinks of the comparisons, Waller said, “No I’ve never met the guy before, but I don’t get the comparisons in a lot of ways. I think just because we’re both really good at talking and we say whatever we want we’re the same? I think we’re very different individuals, but I respect the hell out of him and what he does.”

“You know he goes out there and says what he has to say and he’s unapologetic. I love that energy. I think too many people in the industry are comfortable. They just want to do the status quo, get along, and complain. I’m not getting opportunities but I’m not willing to do whatever it takes. That dude is willing to do whatever it takes. So I respect what he does,” Waller said.

“We’re both good at what we do, but we’re two very different individuals. I think the comparison is just people on Twitter who don’t have any intelligence or don’t have any creativity going ‘aw those two are the same’, and it’s like naw. You’re wrong,” Waller said.

Waller spoke about what he seeks to do every time he goes out to the ring or on TV during a previous interview with ComicBook.com, and his only goal is the steal the show. It doesn’t matter if he wins or loses, because if he has the most unforgettable moment, it’s mission accomplished.

“Every time I go out, I go out to steal the show. Whether I win or whether I lose, I want to make sure people are talking about me at the end of the night, and I think Stand & Deliver, in front of that Dallas crowd, because before then I’d only wrestled in front of this NXT crowd here that we’re in front of every week. I’d never been in front of a proper WWE crowd. I did Raw, I was on Raw, but I never wrestled. I was always out there saying trash to AJ, that type of thing. So walking out there in front of that crowd on WrestleMania Weekend, as an Australian, even the fact that I was there WrestleMania Weekend wrestling, that show was wild. And I was like, I don’t care what happens to my body. I’m going out there and I’m stealing the show.”

“Ideally, I was going to put Carmelo Hayes through that ladder,” Waller said. So the end result wasn’t exactly what I planned, but that photo was all worth it. When you see me flying through the air, that’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. And I know people in that crowd. Same thing, they’ll never forget that.”

What do you think of the comparisons to MJF, and what do you want to see next from Waller? Let us know in the comments!