EXCLUSIVE: WWE superstar Grayson Waller floats radical idea for NRL players as 'hard' reality sets in

On average, the career of an NRL player lasts just 75 games.

For every Cameron Smith or Darren Lockyer who dominate the competition for over a decade, there are players who barely get their feet off the ground in the top grade.

It leaves many talented athletes across the country without a place to showcase their abilities, with many going back to 'regular' day jobs.

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But now, according to WWE superstar Grayson Waller, there's a better opportunity than ever before for rugby league players to make their way into a pro wrestling ring.

Speaking to Wide World Of Sports, the popular Sydney product heaped praise on the men and women from the 13-man code and believes the door is open to become a part of the WWE umbrella if things don't pan out on the footy field.

"I think there's a bunch - I got to go down to the Roosters training centre and meet some of the boys," Waller said.

"Some of the trainers at the Roosters were like 'stay away from our boys' because they don't want them to get taken. Especially with the way NXT is now, bringing in athletes, I think a lot of the NRL boys could do really good.

"The great thing about the NRL is that it's not just an on-field product, you also have a lot of entertaining guys out there and I think you are starting to notice that a lot more with podcasts and boys branching out and that's part of what we do really well.

"There's a bunch of guys who I think could be great and maybe it's the case that when their careers are done and dusted, they might find a job with us.

"Very few people get to stay in high-level athletic positions for an extended period of time. I think most players on average in the NRL are only going to get two or three years. It's hard to make first grade and it's even harder to stay there.

"There's always other options for these guys who are super athletic and just not at the tippy-top level of the NRL. Hopefully we can start feeding these guys into WWE and take advantage of how entertaining and athletic they are."

At the age of 34, Waller is now only starting to scratch the surface of his career at a time when most rugby league players are winding down their time on the field.

There's even proof to back up his claims, with former Broncos and Dragons star Daniel Vidot spending half a decade with WWE before being released in 2023.

The hulking Samoan international has made sporadic appearances in other wrestling companies since his time with the sports entertainment juggernaut.

More recently, Vidot returned to rugby league and has represented the United States.

Even more recently, Bulldogs legend James Graham stepped into the ring and spoke openly about the competitive drive it brought out of him.

Waller and Graham shared the ring at a PWA show in mid-October and while they had some personal differences, it was all respect from a professional standpoint.

"I will give credit to James - he is a ranga, he is a flop and he is a Bulldog - but he took what we do very seriously," Waller said.

"He went for training sessions, he always invested time in his podcast to talk about PWA and mentioned the talent and put in effort. As much as personally we didn't get along, professionally I can see why he is where he is.

"I was very appreciative of him working hard … he could have just come in and done no work. Full credit to the boys, as he would probably try and say."

Netflix will be the exclusive home of WWE's flagship weekly programming in Australia – launching with the premiere episode of WWE Raw on Tuesday, January 7.