AJ Styles had a pretty important job behind Grayson Waller’s NXT Championship victory at Heatwave. Styles has revealed that he was the sole producer for the chaotic Fatal Four-Way, and apparently Waller made his job a whole lot easier.
While speaking on The AJ Styles Show, Styles talked about Waller defeating Tony D’Angelo, Cruz Montana and Zilla Fatu to become NXT Champion. With four wrestlers and plenty of moving pieces to keep track of, Styles believes Waller’s experience played a major part in making the whole thing work.
“He’s very smart when it comes to that ring. He is very dependable when it comes to putting together a match. He is responsible, I think, for most of the reason why that match went so well.”
Styles wasn’t taking anything away from D’Angelo, Montana or Fatu. He thought everyone contributed, but Waller had a little more experience to lean on when it came to keeping a match like that together.
“Not to say those other guys didn’t do, there’s just a little bit more time in the ring from Grayson. But, I mean, don’t get me wrong, all those guys contributed very, very well.”
Styles already knew what Waller could do from their previous time working together in NXT. He remembered Waller bringing good ideas to the table back then, which gave him an early look at just how sharp Waller could be when it came to putting matches together.
“But Grayson is, he’s kind of, I don’t want to say he’s on a different level, but I don’t know how to explain it without making it seem like these other guys…It’s not what I’m saying. But he’s very, very, very good. I knew that the first time that I had the opportunity to wrestle him down at NXT.”
Styles also remembered how some people viewed his NXT program as a step backward at the time. He saw it differently, since it gave him the opportunity to work with younger talent while getting a firsthand look at the ideas they could bring to the ring.
“I went down there and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, he’s taking a step back going to NXT.’ Or maybe he’s getting some good ring time in and he’s able to help out the younger talent with the ideas that he has, and he had some great ideas.”
This time, Styles was helping Waller from behind the scenes. Despite everything happening throughout the Fatal Four-Way, Styles admitted it was actually the easiest match he has ever had to call as a producer.
“I will say this about that match. It was the easiest one I ever had to call as far as being a producer.”
That came down to the four wrestlers involved. Styles pointed to the different experience D’Angelo, Fatu, Montana and Waller brought with them, meaning he didn’t have to spend the entire match trying to guide everyone through every little detail.
“Because, yes, there were a lot of moving parts and trying to catch this and catch that. But those all four of those guys have done really well throughout their career. Tony been NXT, Zilla coming from the indies, Cruz, you know, from TNA, and then of course Grayson coming up through NXT and the main roster.”
The host then asked exactly how much responsibility Styles had for the match and whether another producer was working alongside him. His answer revealed that the entire assignment was his.
“I was the sole producer.”
Styles still refused to take much credit for how well the match turned out. He believes the wrestlers made his job easy enough that there wasn’t much reason for him to constantly interfere with what they wanted to do.
“But I can’t take, I can’t take a lot of credit for, if you go, ‘That was a great match.’ I can’t take a lot of credit because it was an easy match for me to do.”
Instead, the WWE Hall of Famer largely let the four men work and only stepped in when he had something worth adding or a concern that needed addressing.
“So, all I have to do is let them work. All, and maybe to give my two cents or my worries about this or that, but other than that, please.”
Waller ultimately walked away with the NXT Championship after throwing Montana from the ring following Spin the Block and stealing the cover on D’Angelo. Styles doesn’t want the credit for making the match work, but being trusted to handle the entire thing by himself shows just how involved he has become in helping shape matches behind the scenes.
What do you think of AJ Styles serving as the sole producer for Grayson Waller’s NXT Championship victory? Let us know in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
