Grayson Waller: I Love The New Day, I Can’t Explain How Much They Did For Me

In July 2025, after Austin Theory went down with injury, Grayson Waller was aligned with New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston).

The group was on and off television, but rarely prominently featured. When New Day departed WWE in May, Waller was off TV completely until returning to NXT in July.

Waller had been on the main roster since 2023 working with the likes of Edge (Adam Copeland) in Madison Square Garden and standing across the ring from John Cena on the Grayson Waller Effect, but had been less and less featured as time went on.

Speaking to Bully Ray on Busted Open, Bully said WWE must’ve seen something in him initially by giving him his own talk show.

Waller replied, “I understand maybe talk shows aren’t their thing. With what we’re doing now, realism is a real thing. We look like a sports show now. There is less differences now between WWE, NFL, and NBA. This is a professional sport that we’re doing, and that’s how it needs to be presented. A talk show where some silly Australian comes out, he says some jokes, and he gets punched in the face might not be the type of television they want to present, and I understand that. I just don’t think they knew who I am, personally. My advice was always, ‘We want you to be serious. We need you to be serious.’ I’m like, ‘Yes, let me be serious.’ ‘You’re with the New Day.’ Great. I love the New Day. I can’t explain how much those guys did for me. I have all the respect in the world for them. I never want people to think I’m derogatory towards them at all. What a chance to work with one of the best tag teams of all time. But we’re out there wearing silly hats. We’re mucking around and joking. I can’t be serious. I can’t show them what they want to see. I never got a chance to show them who I am. No one is in the wrong. I didn’t do the wrong thing. They didn’t do the wrong thing. They didn’t see what they want, I didn’t give them what they want. That’s just how the business works. Sometimes, the ships sail a different way. Now in NXT, I’m getting to show them who I am. I am serious. This isn’t a joke to me. This means something.”

New Day is now New Level (Kofi & Austin Creed) in AEW.

Elsewhere during the interview, Waller discussed his return to NXT. You can find his full comments here.

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