Grayson Waller Names The Four Pillars Of NXT And Includes Mandy Rose

This past weekend at WWE NXT Deadline, Grayson Waller became the official number-one contender to the NXT Champion Bron Breakker, winning the first-ever Iron Survivor Challenge. Following his victory over Apollo Crews, Breakker was attacked by Waller contender to close the show, setting up their eventual clash at New Year's Evil.

With "The Grayson Waller Effect" set to land in full force in the coming weeks, the NXT superstar joined "WWE After The Bell" to talk about his career-defining victory. Speaking to Corey Graves, Waller detailed why he believes he's always been a driving force of the NXT brand since he arrived, calling himself one of the brand's four pillars, along with a notable name who's been in the news as of late. 

"I think from day one I was, but I just hadn't [been] given the platform or the opportunity yet," Waller said. "I think other people were given that straight away because they needed it and I took that opportunity. In wrestling, a lot of people like to talk about 'four pillars' right, you always hear about 'four pillars' who built the company. When it comes to [NXT] I think I'm 100% one of those four pillars. I think it's me, [Carmelo Hayes], Mandy [Rose], and right on the end is Bron Breakker and it's a little bit shaky, it's barely standing up but if that pillar breaks, the other three are just as strong."

The most notable of the names mentioned by Waller was Mandy Rose, the former NXT Women's Champion who was released shortly after losing her championship to Roxanne Perez, in a move that shocked many as the star held the belt for over 400 days. According to the report, Rose was released because WWE felt they were put in a tough position over suggestive content Rose released on her FanTime page.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "WWE After The Bell" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.