Grayson Waller the character is quite, er, the character. Cocky, arrogant – but the man behind it all is insanely smart.
He knows the game. He knows what he’s good at. He knows how to get eyes on him. And he knows how he feels. And perhaps surprisingly, he is full of praise for Logan Paul.
The headline of this piece may not suggest that. But hold fire. Because, for all his criticism of fans, Waller credits Paul, who has taken the wrestling world by storm since entering WWE a few years ago.
It was 2021 when Paul was first seen in WWE as a celebrity guest. The next one off the rack, following the likes of Wayne Rooney, Mike Tyson and Hugh Jackman. But, as time went on, it was clear that he was different.
He trained to wrestle and signed a contract with WWE, going onto enjoy main event events against the likes of Roman Reigns and undergoing a pretty lengthy United States title reign.
Fans boo him. Whether that’s because of how they feel about him outside of the ring or in it is up for debate, but there’s no doubting his wrestling talent and ability, as was seen again at the O2 on Monday, when he faced off against WrestleMania opponent AJ Styles.
WWE star Grayson Waller (left) has claimed Logan Paul has ‘ruined’ celebrity wrestling
Paul has impressed in WWE since debuting in 2021 and will face AJ Styles at WrestleMania
Waller, though, has suggested Paul’s abilities have set unrealistic standards for other celebrities who may appear in the company
‘I think in some ways, Logan has ruined celebrity wrestling,’ Waller explains, speaking from the Intercontinental Hotel next to the O2 Arena, 12 hours before it hosted Monday Night Raw. ‘They’ll just take this part, they’ll only put that line up, but I will explain it.
‘Logan came in and straight away was very good. I got to train with Logan early on, I went down to NXT with Shawn Michaels.
‘He’s a super athlete. He is a one in a million type of athlete and performer. So now all these guys think they can come in and do it.’
‘That’s true,’ adds Austin Theory, Waller’s tag team partner in A Town Down Under.
The conversation stems from a talk about a different influencer; Joe Weller. The man who was suplexed by Paul at Wembley Stadium during the Sidemen charity match, and who has produced home-made wrestling videos for years. ‘Don’t try this at home’ does not apply to Joe Weller, apparently.
Long story short, Weller got giddy when his Impaulsive podcast with Paul did better numbers than those with WWE stars. He called for WWE to offer him a contract, and Waller took exception.
‘Stick to doing Swantons in your bedroom,’ he replied on X. ‘We already got too many cringe English flops backstage.’
Nothing from Weller. But Waller isn’t backing down. Asked for his thoughts on Joe Weller, he does what he does best: trash talk.
Social media star Joe Weller (right) is a big WWE fan and has started training in the sport
Waller hit out at Weller on social media after he appeared to call for WWE to sign him
The YouTube star has also been in wrestling training and appears to be targeting WrestleMania
[item name=module id=124549765 style=undefined /]
‘A guy like Joe Weller, he’s had fun with the wrestling,’ Waller continues. ‘I’ve seen these clips before.
‘I think Joe Weller’s a great personality. But now everyone just says, “I’m going to be a wrestler now. My turn to be a wrestler”. Alright, come in, take a few bumps, get in with us.
‘You realise we’re bigger, we’re stronger than you ever think, and we’re going to try and hurt you. That’s a different situation.
‘Logan is so good that he’s ruined it for other people, because we have influencers coming in and talking to people at NXT and going, “Oh no, no, we don’t do NXT, we’re going to do what Logan did. We’re going to go to the main roster.
‘That’s not how it works. Logan is very good, [but] he’s the only one. So Joe Weller, if you want it lad… I saw you training at some place – you’re training at some indy venue – come find us. I’ll train you lad. I’ll punch you in the face, I’ve got no problem.’
That probably won’t be in London, though. There are no current plans for WWE to return – though they will eventually, and WWE boss Triple H has suggested a Premium Live Event in England will happen next year.
‘I will say this, this might be the first time ever there’s been any sun in London,’ Waller, a native of Sydney, Australia, adds of his surroundings. ‘So maybe this has been the best London trip I’ve had so far.
‘But it’s the pool of London people going outside, like they’re about to get sunburned, they’re all stressing, they’re like little vampires.’
Waller also rubbished the idea of London potentially hosting a WrestleMania in the near future
The star suggested he would not turn up to perform if the city ever played host to the event
When a WrestleMania in London is pitched, he snaps back: ‘I think that’s a terrible idea. I don’t understand why we’re pretending that it’s going to happen, just because John Cena came out two years ago and pretended.
‘I’d rather do WrestleMania literally anywhere in the world than London.’
He ends with threatening not to show up if it happens. Waller, naturally would prefer down under.
WrestleMania 41 airs live on in the UK on Saturday April 19 and Sunday April 20 and you can also catch RAW on Netflix every Monday
