Grayson Waller revealed that AJ Styles told him to ignore what fans say about him on social media, good or bad, because the opinions that really matter for his career come from people who know how WWE works.
Waller was a guest on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast on Friday, where he recalled getting that advice when Styles visited NXT. He named Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Matt Bloom as the people talent should listen to.
“I’ll give you the worst one,” Waller said. “The match finishes; they go on social media. ‘This guy is the best. He’s the man.’ AJ Styles gave the best advice ever. He came down to NXT years ago and said, ‘If there is a mean comment about you online, it doesn’t matter. If there is a good comment about you online, it doesn’t matter.’” Styles said the opinions that matter come from Triple H, Michaels, and Bloom, because they have done this and they are the ones who decide where talent goes.
Waller admitted that it can be hard to follow that advice, especially for younger talent.
“It’s so hard now not to check because when someone puts you over, it’s the best feeling,” Waller said. “‘Yes, I’m the man,’ but you have to realize, ‘Who is this? They don’t really understand.’ These kids are going through something that no one has before, so it’s hard to understand from their perspective how they feel.”
This is related to Waller’s earlier comments about Michaels. On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Waller said Michaels taught him never to take advice from someone whose position he wouldn’t want to be in.
In that interview, Waller said the praise he got from John Cena, CM Punk, and Bayley means a lot to him, especially after his return promo in NXT. He sees praise from people like that differently than reactions from fans online.
Waller also talked about Styles’ current role in NXT. He said Styles has been producing matches and helping out with training, but likes to hear ideas from the talent before offering his own.