CM Punk has put Grayson Waller on notice, and the NXT Champion might have a serious problem on his hands. During WWE NXT Halloween Havoc on October 31, 2026, Punk appeared on the video screen following the main event and announced that he was coming after Waller on Wednesday’s episode of NXT.
The surprise announcement came moments after Waller successfully defended the NXT Championship against Tony D’Angelo in a brutal main event. However, Waller didn’t exactly earn a clean victory, as the champion took advantage of an incapacitated referee to retain his title.
D’Angelo pushed Waller to his limits throughout the match, with both men exchanging punishment inside and outside the ring. At one point, Waller repeatedly sent D’Angelo crashing into the ringside barricade directly in front of his wife and son, prompting an angry response from the challenger.
The action eventually got even uglier when Waller connected with a rolling cutter through the announce table. D’Angelo managed to survive and later delivered a spear for a near fall, but things took a controversial turn when the referee was accidentally knocked down.
With the official out of commission, Waller grabbed a crowbar and struck D’Angelo before connecting with his slingshot rolling cutter to secure the three-count and retain the NXT Championship.
But Waller’s celebration didn’t last long. Danhausen appeared following the match and warned Waller not to get too excited. That’s when CM Punk showed up on the video screen with a message of his own.
Punk explained that he’d heard Waller running his mouth and made it clear that he was coming after him on Wednesday. He also took a shot at Waller’s claims that NXT is his house, telling the champion that while it might be his house, Punk is the landlord, and the rent is due.
While Punk didn’t officially announce an NXT Championship match, his warning made it clear that he has unfinished business with Waller. The timing is particularly interesting because WWE is already loading up its November 4 edition of NXT with some major names.
John Cena is scheduled to appear live on the broadcast, although WWE has not revealed exactly what he’ll be doing. Cody Rhodes is also confirmed for the show, where he’ll present the Dusty Cup to the winners of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals between Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno and Hank Walker and Tank Ledger. The special Wednesday edition of NXT will air opposite AEW Dynamite’s Blood & Guts event, with WWE moving its usual Tuesday broadcast due to election coverage.
Now Punk has added another reason to pay attention to Wednesday’s show. Waller managed to escape Halloween Havoc with his championship, but dealing with CM Punk could turn out to be a completely different situation.
What do you think about CM Punk coming after Grayson Waller, and would you like to see the two eventually battle for the NXT Championship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
