Photo: Carmelo Hayes spotted with top AEW star
There's a natural rivalry between WWE and AEW as the top two wrestling companies in North America, but the animosity doesn't usually extend to the wrestlers themselves. The latest proof of this was posted today by All Elite star Swerve Strickland, who shared a picture with NXT's Carmelo Hayes.
Strickland and Hayes – both former NXT North American Champions – are among the fastest-rising stars in the industry. While Carmelo Hayes seems set to make the leap to WWE's main roster soon, Swerve Strickland has been involved in AEW's World Championship scene throughout early 2024.
Strickland and Hayes have only faced off once in the ring – when the latter defeated Swerve (fka Isaiah Scott) for the NXT North American Championship in October 2021. This was Strickland's final NXT match, as he was released from WWE the following month.
It appears there are no hard feelings between the two, as Swerve Strickland took to X today to share a picture of himself and Carmelo Hayes hanging out:
Chris Jericho thinks Swerve Strickland is a future AEW World Champion
Carmelo Hayes will face Trick Williams at NXT Stand & Deliver next month. Meanwhile, Swerve Strickland's attention is on the AEW World Championship.
The 33-year-old missed a huge opportunity to snag the gold in the three-way match with 'Hangman' Adam Page and current champion Samoa Joe at Revolution 2024, but Chris Jericho thinks he'll have more opportunities.
The Ocho praised Swerve on a recent Talk is Jericho, claiming that the company needs a crossover star like him to take the next step:
"I'm a huge fan of Swerve. I think eventually he'll be our world champion. I mean, it's just a matter of time at this point. And he's got the cool factor. He's new, he's fresh, he can talk, he looks great. I mean, he's a guy that can be a crossover super-duper star, which is, I think, what AEW needs to go to the next level," said Jericho.
Swerve has vowed to be All Elite Wrestling's first black world champion. Despite coming up short against the dominant Samoa Joe, he's determined not to stop until he's dripping with gold.