Cameron Grimes On Becoming A Man In WWE NXT, Triple H And Shawn Michaels On Grimes
WWE NXT Superstar Cameron Grimes has received significant praise from WWE Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development Triple H, and Vice President of Talent Development Shawn Michaels.
Grimes recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. The piece includes comments Triple H and Michaels made to Barrasso back in the summer of 2021, which are just now being published. It was noted how Grimes wrestled for a decade before signing with WWE in 2019, but was never a star in the indies of Impact Wrestling, and how this was "extremely appealing" to Triple H, who helped sign Grimes to his WWE deal.
Triple H commented on Grimes' development.
"He had all the personality in the world, but he just needed to have it coaxed out of him," Triple H said back in the summer. "When you watch him now, he's not pretending to be Cameron Grimes. He is Cameron Grimes. And now we're seeing some of Trevor in there."
It was also noted how Grimes' 2021 work with WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase turned out to be bigger and better than originally planned, which caught the attention of Michaels.
"It's being an over-the-top heel that helped bring Cameron here, but he's marrying that real-life story and emotion to the Cameron Grimes story," Michaels also said back in the summer, comments that are just now being published. "As a babyface, there needs to be a piece of reality about how much this means to him, and that's going to allow him to connect in a deeper way."
Grimes noted that earning the trust of higher-ups like Michaels and Triple H has only added to his fearlessness.
Grimes has been able to earn the trust of the top decision-makers in WWE, which has only added to his fearlessness. He told Barrasso this week that being in NXT has really helped with his confidence.
"How can you not be confident when you know Shawn Michaels has your back?" Grimes said. "And they're right to say I was never a star anywhere else. It comes down to maturity. I'm becoming a man in this business. I wasn't mature enough or ready to become that star before. I had the talent and the drive, but it hadn't clicked yet. Since I've been in NXT, it's really helped my confidence to do what it takes to become a star."
Grimes lost to NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes at last night's NXT Vengeance Day special.
Stay tuned for more.