Why WWE's Grayson Waller Makes John Cena Wish He'd Done One Thing Differently

Backed by his strong speaking skills and heel-ish attitude, Grayson Waller has received several comparisons to former WWE Champion The Miz — a theme that Waller happily embraces. On WWE's "The Bump," 16-time world champion John Cena continued that trend, explaining how Waller's confidence is similar to that of The Miz, whom Cena has worked extensively with in the past. It's the same self-assurance that Cena wishes he possessed during the early stages of his WWE career.

"Grayson reminds me a whole lot of Miz, a lot. For all of Miz's confidence-slash-arrogance, he's been here for 19 years and he's one of the most reliable, decorated, elite performers in WWE history. The fact that he's been here 19 years, and continued to crush it, I think that says good things about Grayson Waller, and I like to see somebody come in with confidence," Cena said. "Looking back on my existence, I wish I had more confidence. I wish I had Grayson Waller's swagger back in 2002 when I slapped Kurt Angle. Instead, I timidly shook the Undertaker's hand when I should have slapped him too. I didn't have that ruthless aggression. He's got it, and I admire that."

While Cena recognizes that Waller still has a few elements to hone in on, he believes that the Australian performer has laid out a firm foundation for himself, which greatly benefits him. Now, per the guidance of Cena, Waller must continue building. "He's got a few things to learn, so as somebody who's got a lot of in-ring wisdom, I wanna shake him and be like 'You don't know this is in your future,” but he'll find all that stuff out," Cena said. "He's got the first ingredient — he believes in who he is."

If you use quotes in this article, please credit "WWE's The Bump" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.