EXCLUSIVE: Grayson Waller calls out retiring WWE icon John Cena as 'hardest test' awaits Aussie star

Grayson Waller has enjoyed a "wild" ride in the early stages of his WWE career, but the Australian-born star is ready to test himself against the greatest of all-time.

While the proverbial rocket hasn't been completely strapped to Waller's back in the 18 months since he was called up to the WWE main roster, the sheer amount of legendary figures he's shared the ring with is proof of the company's trust in his abilities.

In his first night on SmackDown, the 34-year-old wrestled Edge (aka Adam Copeland) - one of the most accomplished stars in the company's extensive history.

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From there, Waller has shared the ring with John Cena, AJ Styles and Cody Rhodes just to name a few, all while keeping his trademark swagger at the forefront.

But it wasn't until this past April where Waller was finally donned in championship gold.

In a match that could only be described as a complete car crash - in a good way, of course - Waller and his tag partner Austin Theory took home the tag team titles in front of more than 60,000 screaming fans at WrestleMania 40 in a chaotic ladder match.

Speaking exclusively to Wide World of Sports during a recent return to Sydney to compete for his home promotion PWA, Waller opened up on the whirlwind weekend and why it meant so much to become a champion in Philadelphia.

"It was wild, that was my first WrestleMania competing," he said.

"The worst part about a wrestling match is right before you go out. Once my music hits, I don't have any nerves. Once I walk through the curtain, the nerves disappear.

"But those three hours before were horrendous and it's a different level of stress when you know not only is it gonna be 60,000 people there, but millions of people watching.

"I train hard and I work hard to enjoy moments like this. When we got to go backstage and properly celebrate it - not even at the time usually, it's like a few days later when it really sinks in about your journey and where you came from, that's when it means a lot.

"To have my mum there, who took me to my first wrestling show and watched me wrestle in front of 12 people in Newcastle … to see her crying and proud was really cool.

"To be able to win the championships, that's something that no matter what else happens in my career, you can't take that from me."

Waller is as skilled as he is brash and there's a level of adaptability to his persona on-screen, meshing with any level or type of performer he steps into the ring with.

Throughout his time as a champion, which came to an end in August, Waller learnt plenty about himself and what it means to be an ambassador for the brand.

"Everyone wants to be a champion until they find out what a champion is," he said.

"I think Cody [Rhodes] is a great example of that - this guy is on everything, he's flying all over the country and that's something I take pride in too.

"Any time they ask me to do something, I will do it. That's part of being a champion, you represent the company now and you have to go and do things to promote the company."

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While he's still in the midst of a career year, Waller always has an eye toward the future and that might mean finally going toe-to-toe with 16-time world champion, John Cena.

When quizzed on whether he believes there is unfinished business between the pair, Waller gave a candid response about why battling Cena in his final year is so crucial.

"I definitely do [have unfinished business] and I see all these other flops from WWE coming out to and put their names in the hat and you know they are just fans," he said.

"They want to go in there and take a photo with John so they can put it on their wall.

"For me, I think John represents a lot in what wrestling is and what wrestling was. I've had the opportunity to be in there with him on the microphone, but I've never had the opportunity to be tested by him in the ring.

"I think that's what Cena does, he tests people and he's the measuring stick. If you go in there against John Cena, you show that you belong and so many guys have gone in there and afterwards, they have gone on to big things because they passed the test.

"I want the hardest tests and I think that is it and if he's only here for one more year, I'm gonna say whatever I have to say to make it happen.

"I know I already have his attention, but it's time to double down and really show that I'm the kind of guy you put in against Cena at the end."

Waller's rise under the WWE umbrella is expected to continue through the rest of this decade, with many smart judges tipping him for singles championship gold.

And when asked if he would be joining fellow Aussie export Rhea Ripley in signing a long-term contract extension, Waller made his intentions clear.

"My goal has always been to be in the WWE as long as possible," he said.

"I'm a company guy and I'm willing to do whatever it takes and if there's opportunities to stay here, I'm gonna do it. I love my job, I love working for WWE and right now it's the best company in the world to work for.

"I'm glad Rhea is sticking around because she is extremely good at what she does and she is the one who I think really cemented Australia on the map and is allowing the rest of us to show what we can do.

"The eyes we have on us, the work we put in, the work we present to the world - I genuinely think this is the best WWE has ever been.

"To be at the forefront of that, I would love to do that. I think when you hear the name Grayson Waller, it's gonna be next to WWE for a while."

Grayson Waller is in action every week on WWE SmackDown from Saturday at 11am AEDT LIVE on BINGE and Foxtel.