WWE’s Grayson Waller Assesses Australian Talent In And Outside Promotion

Before signing with WWE in 2021, Grayson Waller competed in several Australian indie wrestling promotions such as PWA and EPW, while also holding four different championships under his initial in-ring name, Matty Wahlberg. Despite his success on the indies, Waller didn’t think it was possible for him to wrestle in WWE. 

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During his recent interview on “Insight,” the “WWE SmackDown” star revealed the Australian stars that made him believe that he could make it in WWE. Waller named former WWE stars The IIconics, the tag team of Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, current WWE stars Rhea Ripley and Bronson Reed, and The Mighty Don’t Kneel’s Nick Miller and Shane Thorne as those who gave him hope.

“I rarely saw Australians [in WWE]. There’d be one or two here or there, and I was like, it didn’t seem like a possibility. But then when I saw Peyton [Royce] and Billie [Kay] get on ‘NXT’ — they’re from the same school as me — then I was like, ‘Oh wow,’ and they came back and, like, did a little seminar. I’m like, ‘It’s possible,’ and I think Rhea [Ripley] was the one who really cemented it. I think she showed the rest of Australia, ‘Hey, this is possible,’ and that opened the door. Then you get Bronson [Reed], you got Indi [Hartwell] there already, you had TMDK [The Mighty Don’t Kneel] doing really good stuff before they left, there’s so many people,” said Waller. 

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Waller also mentioned Tenille Dashwood, formally known as Emma in WWE, and AEW star Buddy Matthews, as two other stars who helped pave the way for Australian talent to compete on a bigger stage, and admitted they don’t get enough credit for their contributions. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Insight” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.