AJ Styles got a firsthand look at Grayson Waller’s work behind the scenes in NXT, and he walked away believing Waller deserves a lot more credit than he gets.
During The AJ Styles Show, Styles revealed that he produced Waller’s match against Cruz Montana in NXT. AJ said the assignment was easy because both men already knew how to work television, hit their time and handle themselves without needing somebody to map out every second for them.
“I was lucky enough to be able to produce their match. I said, ‘Listen, there’s not a lot you have to do in this,’ because you’ve got two pros who’ve been on television. They know what they’re doing. I had no worries that they’d get it done in the time that they needed to. Total pros.”
That led Styles to single out Waller, who AJ believes doesn’t get enough recognition for what he brings to WWE. Styles especially likes the attitude Waller is using with his current heel character.
“Grayson Waller is very underrated. I think he’s very good. The heel work that he’s doing right now — the pissed-off, ‘I’m going to tell you what I think, and if you don’t like it, come do something about it’ — I kind of like that.”
Styles was also impressed by how physical Waller and Montana were willing to get. AJ pointed out that both men were visibly marked up after the match, including bruising across their chests and a boot mark on Montana’s face.
“These guys, it wasn’t that they just went out there. I don’t know if you saw them both at the end of their match, but there were bruises on their chest. There was a boot mark on Cruz’s face. They got after it. There was some very real stuff that was going on, and I liked it, man.”
AJ made it clear he wasn’t sitting backstage building the entire match for them. His role was more about giving suggestions and letting Waller and Montana do what they already knew how to do.
“These guys were hitting each other hard. I was impressed by how they wrestled, and I didn’t have to worry with how it was going to go. Again, I’m just there to help produce. It’s not like I’m putting together this match for them. They can do this, too.”
Styles compared that process to working with producers such as Abyss and P.D. Williams, who already understand his style and can simply suggest ideas instead of trying to control everything. AJ summed up his job that night pretty simply.
“To give ideas and stuff like that, because I know them both, is a little bit easier. Like when I have a producer like Abyss or P.D. Williams who know my stuff, they know what I do and they can suggest these things in here. It’s a little bit easier to help produce a match.”
“Again, it’s not like I had to do a lot. All I had to do was let them loose.”
That’s a strong endorsement for Waller from somebody who has spent decades working at the highest levels of wrestling. Styles didn’t just praise what fans see on television — he got to work directly with Waller as a producer and came away calling him “very underrated.”
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