WWE talk shows have been around for decades from Piper's Pit to The Highlight Reel to Miz TV.
Grayson Waller hosts the Grayson Waller Effect on WWE SmackDown, bringing him face-to-face with some of the biggest stars in wrestling, including John Cena. Waller used his talk show as a vehicle to remain on television after being drafted to SmackDown in 2023 while he was still sidelined with an injury.
Speaking to Brad Gilmore on The Collection, Waller was asked if he learned from talk shows of the past.
"Very much so. I was always a fan of the talk shows when it came to WWE. Before I started mine, I watched a lot of Piper's Pit and things like that to get the vibe. It's such an important part of what WWE does, those types of segments. Having it as how I debuted on the main roster was a little daunting in a way because you're not debuting in a match, you're not debuting with these hype packages. The first thing people see of me is me hosting and causing chaos with their favorite superstars. I know a lot of people, to start off with, didn't even know I could wrestle. That was fun while I was healing. It was daunting at first. Now, it's a lot of fun. I'm in there with guys like Logan Paul, John Vena, Cody Rhodes. The biggest names. Getting to interact with them is a lot of fun," he said.
Waller's first match on the main roster was against Edge (Adam Copeland).
Waller took part in the WWE US Title tournament to crown a new number one contender, but lost in the first round to Carmelo Hayes.
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