Grayson Waller Says He Was ‘This Close’ to Facing Shawn Michaels in WWE

Grayson Waller came this close to getting his dream match against Shawn Michaels, but instead, he had to settle for a face-off on The Grayson Waller Effect at NXT Roadblock 2023.

During the segment, Waller did what he does best—ran his mouth—and outright challenged HBK to come out of retirement for a one-on-one showdown at NXT Stand & Deliver. But Michaels, who hasn’t wrestled since WWE Crown Jewel in 2018, shot it down. Instead, he handed Waller a different challenge—Johnny Gargano.

Looking back on the moment, Waller admitted it felt like he was this close to making it happen. “Number one has to be Shawn Michaels, just because I felt at the time, Shawn isn’t on television very often. I think that’s for a reason. Shawn moves at a different capacity. He doesn’t want to take away from the show. Shawn is about getting the next generation ready,” Waller said on Gabby AF.

Still, standing across the ring from HBK was something special. “I really felt I was going to get a match at Mania with him. Mania weekend, I was close, but just to feel that vibe of old Shawn. It was there. That was really cool and not many people get to experience that,” he added.

Gargano went on to defeat Waller at Stand & Deliver 2023, but Waller has since carved out a strong spot on SmackDown, proving he didn’t need HBK to elevate his career.

Would you have wanted to see Shawn Michaels step back into the ring against Grayson Waller? Or did HBK make the right call by staying retired? Drop your thoughts in the comments!