WWE NXT Champion Grayson Waller Says He Could Hold His Own On The Mic With CM Punk

Across his wrestling career, WWE's CM Punk has earned a reputation as one of the best talkers in the industry, with the "Pipe Bomb" promo often seen as his crowning achievement. Despite that, reigning NXT Champion Grayson Waller has no fear of Punk, and during an interview on "Busted Open After Dark," he claimed he could "100%" hold his own on the mic against the "Second City Saint."

"That doesn't scare me a bit, and it's not because he's not talented — he's the 'Best In The World' — but what's the point of being in this company, what's the point of being NXT Champion and talking all this, if you don't feel the same?" he expressed. "That is my wrestling dream. I don't think about main-eventing WrestleMania, I don't think about all these other things; I want to stand across the best talker of all time and I want to test myself."

Waller admitted that he was once a fan of Punk's, until becoming a wrestler himself. He felt that Punk was always speaking from the heart, and noted that he didn't have a problem making people mad, which is something Waller has applied to his own career. Still, Waller found it "embarrassing" to see younger wrestlers fawning over Punk backstage during his recent NXT visit. Looking back on their face-to-face at the live event, Waller believes he was doing the same thing Punk used to do by speaking truth to power.

"He went up to guys and he said what he thought about them," Waller continued. "And I did exactly that, and I'm going to get him one day. I'm telling the world, like, there's going to be a day that I stand across from him and I tell him what I really think."

When that confrontation happens again, Waller indicated that he wants to see "the old CM Punk," rather than the softened-up version that Waller believes is parading around WWE today.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open After Dark," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.