Grayson Waller Explains Why WWE NXT Title Win Means More Than WrestleMania XL Victory

When Grayson Waller moved down to "WWE NXT," many people saw it as a demotion, but Waller quickly captured the NXT Championship. According to the man himself, winning that belt has felt more important to his career than the night he and Austin Theory won the WWE Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania XL.

"Winning the title at WrestleMania was like — that's the childhood dream, that's the one that you can retire [on] the next day," he said on "Busted Open After Dark." "Especially being from Australia, even getting a chance to be on WrestleMania and being there with Theory. ... Holding those titles, that meant a lot, but that was when ... I was on the come-up. Sunday night on Heatwave, like that was from — I was from the basement, I was from the depths. So winning this championship meant so much more, personally."

Waller acknowledged that some might dismiss his current title reign as a "developmental" championship, but he argued that it's a milestone he never achieved during his initial time on the brand, despite challenging for it many times. Because he wasn't a former NXT champ, Waller believes fans may not have taken him as a threat on the main roster. Waller said he's no longer concerned with what the fans think, and he knows that winning the NXT title was the biggest moment of his career thus far.

"There were times that I never thought this was going to be a possibility anymore. I thought the ship had sailed," he admitted. "But nobody handed me this! I got this because of what I did. I made it happen, and that's why it means more."

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.