Grayson Waller’s return to WWE NXT as confirmed came with significant plans from the beginning, including a quick decision to position him at the top of the brand.
Based on WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, the decision to crown Waller as NXT Defending champion at Heatwave came together shortly after WWE moved him from Raw back to NXT.
Once Shawn Michaels received confirmation that Waller would remain with NXT for the foreseeable future, the possibility of putting the crown on him according to reports surfaced almost at once.
There are said to be several people within WWE who believe Waller has considerable upside as one of NXT’s leading heels.
Waller captured the NXT Belt at Heatwave on August 30, defeating Tony D’Angelo, Zilla Fatu and Cruz Montana in a Fatal 4-Way encounter.
As for D’Angelo, his gold loss per those familiar with the matter shouldn’t be interpreted as an indication that WWE has cooled on him.
Despite dropping the gold, there currently doesn’t appear to be a main lineup call-up planned for D’Angelo. His name word is that hasn’t been discussed for a move to Raw or SmackDown.
Instead, D’Angelo appears poised to remain involved in NXT storylines and is already lined up to compete in a six-man partnership bout on the September 8 broadcast.
For now, WWE appears set to move forward with Waller as one of the central figures on NXT while D’Angelo remains a significant part of the brand following the conclusion of his belt reign.