Australian WWE wrestler Grayson Waller has continued a beef with Perth’s hometown newspaper The West Australian — this time lashing out at a journalist while also saying it would be an “early night” for its editor if he ever dared to step in the ring.
The verbal assault came after footage of his tag team partner Austin Theory in a real life confrontation with The West’s editor in chief Anthony De Ceglie went viral and made headlines in the UK and the US.
Theory was at the newspaper’s offices to do a video interview with the sports department on Thursday when a chat with De Ceglie turned ugly.
Theory took offence at wrestling being called “fake” and not as “hard” as Australian Rules football or Rugby League.
He threatened to “smack the s…” out of De Ceglie and stormed out in front of shocked employees after a WWE security guard stepped in.
Waller added fuel to the fire when he later went onto social media platform X and posted: “Might need to organise a Tag Match soon. . . A Town Down Under vs Dumb Aussie ‘journos’.”
The West Australian tweeted back: “Spoke to the boss . . . he said bring it!”
On Friday, Waller doubled down at an official WWE press conference ahead of the Elimination Chamber major event.
Not only did he attack De Ceglie, but also took at reporter Caleb Runciman.
“My question is, I don’t know what’s worse, him as a journo or your barber giving you that haircut lad . . . that’s atrocious,” Waller said.
“Did he finish halfway through and go ‘sorry mate, I haven’t got time, I’ve got to go home real quick’.
“I don’t know if guys know this, he (referring to Runciman) used to work at Hoyts back in the day . . . they used to play movies on his forehead.”
Waller said it would be an early night for De Ceglie if he ever tried his hand at wrestling.
“Here’s the thing, journalists in Australia need to understand what we do in WWE is not easy lad, we are travelling all over the world, we are trying to fit in gym sessions, we are going in, we are punishing our bodies,” he said.
“If he wants to jump in against me and Theory I think it’s going to be an early night for him because I don’t know if you’ve seen Theory’s arms, but they are about three of you, brother.”
Footage of Theory’s office altercation with De Ceglie went viral around the world — with everyone from UK newspapers to US wrestling websites picking up the story.
The grainy footage of the altercation shows staff were genuinely unsure what to do.
“You brought me here and you’re going to talk to me like this?” Theory vents.
“Just cause you’re in charge of some s… doesn’t mean you can talk to me like this.
“You’re saying what I do is easy and you’re in front of all of your people talking about my job is easy … you couldn’t walk a damn day in my shoes.
“Are you kidding me man? I will smack the s… outta you right now.”
One staff member Kay Fabe said it looked like a genuine fight was going to break out.
WA Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti threw her support behind De Ceglie.
“I would love to see Anthony De Ceglie in the Elimination Chamber — I think it would be great for Western Australia,” she said.
“I saw the confrontation. It looked very heated.
“I think Anthony would hold his own out there in the Elimination Chamber.”
Elimination Chamber is the final major WWE event before Wrestlemania and has attracted some of the company’s biggest names to Western Australia – from Logan Paul to Rhea Rhipley and Drew McIntyre.
There are still hopes that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will also jet into town at the last minute.