Grayson Waller wins NXT Championship at Heatwave with elbow drop through announcer table

Grayson Waller is the new NXT Champion after outlasting three opponents in a four-way match at Heatwave, a format where any of the challengers can pin the reigning champion to take the title, putting the belt in danger from all sides at once. Waller secured it by driving Zilla Fatu through an announcer table with an elbow drop from the top turnbuckle, then scrambling back to pin Tony D'Angelo while Cruz Montana was on the floor. It is the first NXT Championship reign of Waller's career.

Tony D'Angelo came into Heatwave as champion facing the toughest defense of his reign. His three challengers each brought a different threat. Fatu was stepping into singles competition for the first time. Montana had crossed over from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, known as TNA, looking to make an immediate mark. Waller had spent years with the brand and was fighting his way back toward a top position he had never actually held.

None of the four men stayed down easily. Through most of the match, Waller absorbed punishment from all three opponents. The first real turning point came when Fatu hit a flying Samoan Spike on D'Angelo and had him pinned. Waller pulled the referee out of the ring before the count could finish, keeping the title alive.

What finally broke it open

Later in the match, Fatu ended up lying on the announcer table after more fighting with D'Angelo and Montana. Waller, back inside the ring, climbed to the top turnbuckle, sized up the situation, and chose to go for it. He leaped and drove Fatu through the table with an elbow drop, and both men crashed through it together. D'Angelo and Montana kept fighting inside the ring while Waller recovered on the outside.

Montana connected with Spin the Block on D'Angelo. Waller made it back in before anything was settled, threw Montana back to the floor, and pinned D'Angelo to take the championship.

Waller's long road to the title

Waller began his career with NXT and won the Men's Iron Survivor Challenge with the brand in 2022. Despite those years and that win, the NXT Championship had stayed out of his reach each time. He returned to NXT television and, by Sunday night at Heatwave, backed up everything he had said on the way back.

The championship is now his for the first time.