WWE's Shawn Michaels Reveals Grayson Waller's Shocking Monday Night Raw Opponent for NXT Stand & Deliver

By Matthew Aguilar

Grayson Waller finally had his face-to-face with Shawn Michaels during NXT Roadblock, and Michaels came out to his iconic music and had the crowd rocking right from the beginning. Waller wasted no time in throwing out some jabs at Michaels though, comparing him to Vince McMahon and saying he was doing what Vince did to Shawn back in the day. He also said he only had a job because of Triple H and other shots, and Michaels finally had enough. After Michaels shot down Waller's Stand & Deliver challenge, Michaels revealed someone else wanted to beat him up even more than Michaels did, and that's when Johnny Gargano was revealed to be his Stand & Deliver opponent.

When the segment began, Waller said he himself idolized Michaels and that 10-year-old him would be beside himself. He then said he would tell that kid he would be disappointed and that he should be a Bret guy, Michaels said "you and I used to be cool. You'd ask me questions, for advice, and now all of a sudden you hate me. Why is that?"

"I told you I was taking over this brand, it was going to be the black and gold NXT 2.0. Let's be honest, I'm the best in the game. My social media game is top of the line, and I don't care who I piss off. And yet you, of all people, are treating me like Vince treated you. Remember? He held you back because you weren't big enough. You weren't a draw, but you proved him wrong. Congratulations, but now you're doing the same to me," Waller said.

"Is it because I don't kiss your a**? I don't go in the locker room and say 'I grew up loving Shawn'? I'm the biggest star here, but I'm not the guy, and it's because you're holding me back," Waller said.

"You want to know why you're not the guy? Because you lost at Vengeance Day. I told you New Year's Evil wasn't your fault, and that's why we made the cage match. Then at Vengeance Day you lost, and I know you want to blame me and the company, but you've got to look at the guy in the mirror," Michaels said.

Then Waller threw another shot, saying that Michaels was only in this spot "because your best mate Hunter had a heart attack. That's not an opinion, that's a fact." Michaels took a second and then said "You're going to keep throwing the digs, aren't you? No, I wasn't in charge. I stepped in because my friend needed me. Here's something you need to come to terms with real quick. Triple H was in charge, but HBK Shawn Micheals is running this ship now."

Waller said "You are steering the ship now, and it's going right into an iceberg. You and your team are so desperate for a star, you don't realize he's standing right in front of you." Michaels then told Waller that's his problem. "You think you're bigger than the brand. NXT is built upon the collective. It's not just one person. We Are NXT is a way of life. This place is built on people like Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Asuka, DIY, Bianca Belair, Undisputed ERA, and more. The current NXT is people lik Roxanne and Bron. The Creed Brothers. Wes Lee, and you."

Waller lost it, saying "I'm sick of this place. I'm sick of NXT. It's the same people! That's when Michaels shouted "Enough! You want to run me down knock your socks off boy, because people a lot better than you have done it. Jump on the bandwagon. But do not ever run this brand into the ground."

Waller then issued a challenge, saying "Me and you, Stand & Deliver? You love this brand, show them you have one left. Get rid of that stooge suit and get that cowboy hat and cue up the band one more time."

Michaels said "For over a decade I've had the greatest all over the world want me for their WrestleMania dream match. Hell you want to know something? They've backed a brinks truck to my house so often that the driver knows my address by heart. You're just the person doing it in 2023. It's happened before, and it's going to happen again next year. Nothing would thrill me more than to whip your a** at Stand & Deliver. But the reality is that there's somebody that wants to whip your as**more than I do."

Grayson Waller, you are definitely getting your wish at Stand & Deliver, but your opponent won't be Shawn Michaels, You opponent is this man," Michaels said. That's when Johnny Gargano's music hit and Johnny Takeover was back in NXT. Waller was the one that beat up Gargano on his way out of NXT and WWE, but now Gargano is back and he's looking for payback.

What did you think of the segment and are you excited for Waller vs Gargano? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

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