Grayson Waller is no stranger to using clothing as part of his on-screen antagonism, but one proposed T-shirt involving Stephanie Vaquer ultimately stayed off WWE television.
Speaking on Not Sam Wrestling, Waller was asked whether he had ever created a shirt that could not be worn on TV. The reigning NXT Champion said there have been multiple ideas that never reached the screen, then identified one involving Vaquer as the most notable example.
“There are some that haven’t ended up on TV,” Waller said. “Stephanie Vaquer kind of broke the internet recently. She did an Instagram story posing like Shawn Michaels. There was a t-shirt with that on it. That didn’t end up on television.”
Vaquer had recently won the WWE Women’s World Championship and posted a photo celebrating with the title in a pose that drew comparisons to Shawn Michaels. Waller’s idea was to turn that image into a shirt and use it as part of his rivalry with Myles Bourne, who is Vaquer’s boyfriend.
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While Waller has built a reputation for trying to provoke opponents in unconventional ways, he explained that the practical limits of the situation led him to leave the shirt off television. In his view, the angle would not have had a meaningful in-ring payoff involving Vaquer herself.
“I love to cause chaos, but if we can’t fight about this, there is the line,” Waller said. “Stephanie Vaquer doesn’t feel like I should be doing that, are we going to have a match? That’s not going to happen. That’s where my line is.”
Waller’s T-Shirts Have Been Part Of His Character Work
The unused Vaquer design is not an isolated example of Waller looking for ways to turn a shirt into storyline ammunition. During his WWE run, Waller has worn shirts aimed at a number of figures, including Zilla Fatu and Cruz Montana. The approach fits the outspoken character Waller has cultivated: a wrestler who seeks attention, looks for pressure points, and is comfortable making a visual statement before a bell rings.
In a wrestling environment where a T-shirt can serve as a quick extension of a promo, Waller has regularly treated his wardrobe as another way to needle an opponent. A shirt can get a message across immediately, create a reaction from a live crowd, and give viewers something to discuss before any physical confrontation begins.
However, Waller’s comments show that he does not view every provocative concept as worth using. His explanation was not that the shirt did not exist or that the idea was never considered. Instead, he indicated that it was produced but never used on WWE programming. The determining factor was whether there was an appropriate avenue for the issue to become an actual wrestling conflict.
That distinction is central to Waller’s reasoning. His proposed jab was connected to Bourne through Vaquer, but Vaquer was not positioned for a match with Waller. Without a direct in-ring resolution, Waller said he saw that as the point where he would draw the line.
Vaquer’s Viral Celebration Led To The Concept
The image that inspired the T-shirt came shortly after Vaquer captured the WWE Women’s World Championship. Her Instagram Story post, which referenced the style of a famous Shawn Michaels championship image, quickly attracted significant attention online.
Waller saw an opportunity to turn that attention into a storyline taunt. His planned use of the image was meant to generate heat with Bourne, rather than launch a program with Vaquer. But the idea never advanced to an on-air moment.
Waller even joked that the shirt could have value to a collector. “If anyone wants it, bribe me with some money,” he said, adding that there may be a fan willing to pay heavily for it. The remark underlined the unusual status of the item: it was created for a potential WWE television angle, yet it became an unused piece of wrestling memorabilia instead.
There is no indication that the shirt will appear on television later, and Waller’s comments framed it as an idea that had already been set aside. For now, it remains one of the creative concepts that existed behind the scenes without becoming part of a WWE broadcast.
Waller Focused On Tony D’Angelo At Halloween Havoc
Waller’s immediate in-ring focus is his NXT Championship defense against Tony D’Angelo at NXT Halloween Havoc. The title match gives Waller a major platform, and his history of using personal digs and visual gags makes it likely that he will continue trying to unsettle opponents as he heads into the event.
His conversation about the Vaquer shirt also offers a clearer look at how he approaches that kind of material. Waller enjoys pushing buttons and openly describes himself as someone who likes to create chaos. At the same time, he said there is a boundary when the person being referenced is not someone he can plausibly face in a match.
That does not mean Waller has abandoned the confrontational tactics that have helped define his WWE presentation. If anything, his past shirt choices demonstrate how willing he is to use rivalries, social-media conversations, and fan attention to amplify his character. The Vaquer shirt simply became a case where the potential controversy outweighed the available storyline destination.
As NXT Halloween Havoc approaches, D’Angelo will be the man standing across the ring from Waller, and the NXT Championship will be at stake. Waller’s shelved shirt idea will not change that matchup, but it adds another detail to the champion’s established approach: he is prepared to explore almost any method of getting under an opponent’s skin, provided the story has a place to go once the reaction arrives.
For Vaquer, the social-media post remains a celebratory moment following her WWE Women’s World Championship victory. For Waller, it briefly became the basis for a planned piece of heel merchandise that never reached a WWE audience. The shirt exists, Waller says, but its role in a televised WWE storyline ended before it began.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.