Grayson Waller thought WWE was going to release him after Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of The New Day left the company in May.
On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Waller said his loss to Oba Femi and the lack of opportunities on the main roster added to his fear of losing his job.
“100%,” Waller said. “I could feel it, especially when the New Day left.”
Waller also talked about the stretch he spent off WWE TV.
“I could feel it because when the New Day left, Oba destroyed me,” Waller said. “He’s a very big man, very strong, and just beaten Lesnar. So I think he was very confident going into that match.
“Maybe I wasn’t prepared enough for Oba Femi, but then when I didn’t do anything for like another month, was not a great position to be in.”
Waller admitted that although he believes he has “a lot of value to the company,” other talent could take his place. For that reason, he felt he had to do something before his WWE career was over.
His chance came when Shawn Michaels called him to talk about a potential return to NXT. He said he was given the option to go back, and he took it because he wanted to be on TV and wrestle regularly, no matter where.
Waller returned on the July 28 episode of NXT and cut a promo criticizing how WWE had been using him. The promo was not scripted, and only four or five people knew he would be there. He said he saw it as the most important promo of his career because he believed he wouldn’t get another chance if it failed.
The return eventually led to his first NXT Championship. On August 30 at Heatwave, Waller defeated Tony D’Angelo, Zilla Fatu, and Cruz Montana in a Fatal 4-Way match to win the title.
Waller’s next title defense has been announced. He will put the title on the line against D’Angelo at Halloween Havoc on Saturday.