Grayson Waller Channeled Conor McGregor’s Energy for SmackDown Debut Match

Grayson Waller’s SmackDown debut was one for the books, facing none other than WWE Hall of Famer Edge at the legendary Madison Square Garden on July 7, 2023. Although he didn’t walk away with a win that night, the match was considered a make-or-break moment for Waller — and spoiler alert, he swam.

During an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Waller recounted the nerve-wracking lead-up to the showdown. “The weird thing is, and I’ve talked about it before, I was coming off breaking my leg against Melo. I got cleared maybe two weeks before, but we were in London for a bit, and then we did something else, I’d had maybe an hour in the ring. So I’ve been cleared, I had one hour,” Waller revealed.

He continued, “Then I was going to do the talk show with Edge, and all of a sudden, I find out the night before that I’m wrestling him. That’s stressful because I don’t even know if I can wrestle, I haven’t really done anything on my leg. That’s the first time I’ve really felt the pressure and felt nervous, and usually I don’t.”

So, how did Waller overcome the nerves? He channeled his inner Conor McGregor. “I watched a bunch of clips of McGregor in MSG fighting Eddie Alvarez, watched all the videos for the entrance, and just his vibe. I watched the fight three times, and all of a sudden I was feeling myself. I was like what are you going to do? Not do it. And then from that moment, I felt completely comfortable,” he said.

Despite the pressure and lingering injury, the match was a success. “The match went great, and I came backstage and I could barely walk. My leg wasn’t as good as it needed to be, but I got through it and now I’m very glad that I went in with that type of energy. To get in there with Edge, who is one of the best of all time, and to do it in that kind of venue is very cool,” Waller added.

One standout moment came after the bout when Edge put him over with a show of respect. “That’s not something he has to do,” Waller said. He admitted, “As much as I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t want to kiss ass of the legends, my way of saying thank you to them is saying really horrible things and going at them. I want to be on your level. I feel that’s the biggest respect I can give you is coming at you like everyone else, I don’t want to sit back. But little things like that, at the time, it didn’t mean as much as it does now. Now I look back and go that was pretty cool.”

Since that unforgettable night, Waller has continued to prove himself, even capturing the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside Austin Theory. It’s safe to say that Waller has turned what could have been a sink-or-swim moment into a launchpad for his WWE career.