Grayson Waller had a pretty simple reason for getting in CM Punk’s face at NXT instead of lining up for a photo with him. Waller says watching younger wrestlers act like fans around Punk was “sad” and actually made him embarrassed to be part of NXT.
While speaking on Busted Open After Dark, Waller was asked by Bully Ray why he chose to confront Punk during the recent NXT live event. The funny part is that Waller actually grew up as a huge Punk fan, especially because Punk never seemed afraid to tell people exactly what he thought.
“When I was a wrestling fan, before I checked in my mark card, I was a big fan of CM Punk. I loved what he said. I loved when he talked because he spoke from the heart and it was real. And he didn’t care what anyone thought. He wanted to piss everyone off. You have a problem with him, do something. And no one did anything.”
That’s exactly why what Waller saw backstage bothered him so much. According to Waller, younger NXT wrestlers were crowding around Punk at Gorilla, asking what he thought of their matches and taking photos with him. Waller couldn’t understand why wrestlers working for the same company were treating Punk like they had just met him at a convention.
“So when he came to NXT for that show, it was, Bully—the kids were so excited. It was so sad. They’re at Gorilla like, ‘Mr. Punk, what did you think of my match? Oh, Mr. Punk, can we—’ The amount of guys taking photos with him was sad. Like, you’re in the same company as him. What are you doing, lad? You’re taking photos with him like you’re at a meet-and-greet. It embarrassed me. It embarrassed me that I was part of NXT and these kids were doing that.”
Waller decided he was going to handle Punk very differently. Instead of asking for advice or telling Punk how much he admired him, Waller walked straight up and challenged him. In Waller’s mind, that was actually a much better way of showing respect to someone who built his own career by confronting people.
“And for me personally, I think the best way to show respect to CM Punk is to go at him and tell him what you think. And that’s what I did. I think he’d appreciate that.”
The NXT Champion thinks the Second City Saint probably enjoys having younger wrestlers tell him how great he is, but he also believes Punk secretly respected having somebody finally come at him instead.
“I know he loves getting all the NXT kids telling him how good he is. It probably makes him feel good, like, ‘Yeah, I’m the man.’ But I think he also secretly respects what I did because that’s what he would do. 100%. That’s what Punk would’ve done. That’s what Punk did to guys back in the day. He went up and said what he thought about them.”
Waller’s problem isn’t limited to what he saw backstage at NXT either. He’s been watching some of WWE’s younger wrestlers actually stand across the ring from Punk, and he doesn’t think they look like they belong there. Waller compared them facing Punk to bringing a knife to a gunfight and claimed some of them look genuinely intimidated by him.
“Because none of these other kids who get in the ring with him—these guys, Roman’s great, all the big names against him is crazy. But then you see the new guys get next to him on Raw and it’s like bringing a knife to a gunfight. It’s embarrassing. When I see them stand across from him, they’re terrified of him. Bully, I ain’t scared of no one.”
That gives a little more meaning to Waller’s confrontation with Punk after the August 15 NXT live event. WWE later released footage showing Waller telling Punk that NXT was his house and that Punk needed his permission to show up there.
Plenty of wrestlers grew up watching CM Punk, and Waller was apparently one of them. The difference is that he’d rather prove he belongs across the ring from his former favorite than stand backstage asking him for a selfie.
Do you agree with Grayson Waller that younger WWE wrestlers shouldn’t act like fans around CM Punk? 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.
