Grayson Waller says his NXT return was a personal request from Shawn Michaels, and he has no time for fans calling it a demotion.

The Australian returned to the brand after several years on WWE’s main roster and quickly won the NXT Championship. Speaking on the Busted Open Podcast, Waller pushed back against suggestions that the move was a step backwards.

“I didn’t get sent back to NXT. There’s a narrative online that Grayson Waller got demoted. ‘Oh, I have to be on national television every Tuesday. That’s so tough.’ But there’s a narrative online that I got demoted. That’s not true,” Waller said.

Waller explained that Michaels approached him because the men’s division needed someone to shake things up and bring fresh attention to its top title.

“There was a phone call from someone who asked to meet with me. I spoke with them, and this is a person I respect more than anyone. His opinion means more than anyone. And he asked me to come back here. He asked me because the men’s division wasn’t ready. He didn’t have anyone. No one was causing havoc. Actually, everyone wanted the title. No one needed it,” Waller revealed.

Having debuted in NXT in 2021 before joining SmackDown in 2023, Waller still had unfinished business. Winning the NXT Championship was an ambition he had yet to fulfil, making Michaels’ offer an easy one to accept.

“He knows how much I love this place; he knows how much I love wrestling. He knows how much this title meant to me because I never had it. So he asked me to come back and I said, ‘Hell yeah,'” Waller said.

Has Waller’s return given NXT the boost it needed? Share your thoughts in the comments.