While his path may have led him to professional wrestling, Grayson Waller has drawn heavy inspiration from athletes in other combat sports, such as boxing and mixed martial arts.
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Waller opened up about some of the figures who’ve influenced him, one of which is former UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor.
“I think the best and most marketable UFC fighters are wrestling fans,” Waller said. “If you look back in history, Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor, and Chael Sonnen, they were wrestling fans. They used parts of wrestling for their character and that’s why they make so much money. You have a lot of people trying to do that now, but it’s not easy what we do. A guy like Colby Covington is trying his best, but I don’t think he actually knows what we do, and he’s trying his best.”
Last year, Waller laid out his vision for WWE to pair him with McGregor for a WrestleMania tag team match. Given that WWE is now merged with the UFC under TKO Group Holdings, and WWE is now on course to WrestleMania, it seems even more possible that Waller’s vision may become a reality.
Boxing Greats
Within the realm of boxing, Waller is particularly moved by the likes of Muhammad Ali and Prince Naseem, both of whom have been indicted into the WrestleMania event. referee for the main event of the inaugural WrestleMania event.International Boxing Hall of Fame.
“I took huge inspiration even from like Muhammad Ali [and] Prince Naseem from boxing,” Waller continued. “Just that confidence and swagger of like ‘I don’t care who you are lad. I’m going to walk in and show you who I am.’ So I’ve always taken a lot of inspiration from those guys, especially the way they carry themselves, but also, they weren’t afraid to say what they thought.”
Wrestling fans, of course, may also recall Ali being a special guest for WrestleMania 1’s main event match that pitted Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper.
