4 Reasons why Carmelo Hayes must turn heel again
Carmelo Hayes has been one of the top stars of NXT over the last three years. He won the Breakout Tournament, and quickly captured the North American Championship.
He's the man who took the NXT Championship from Bron Breakker. Hayes recently dropped the belt to Ilja Dragunov, but will have a shot to win the title back on Night Two of NXT Halloween Havoc.
Throughout his NXT tenure, Hayes has been both a heel and a face. Recently, however, his actions and comments have been tilted ever more slightly to the heel side of the coin.
Several people also accused him of attacking his best friend Trick Williams last week. Should he turn back to the dark side? Here are four reasons why Carmelo Hayes should once again be a heel.
#4 A potential call-up to join Bobby Lashley's group
Carmelo Hayes is one of the many NXT stars who are more than ready to join the main roster. Along with Tyler Bate, Ilja Dragunov, Bron Breakker, and others, Hayes would easily fit in with the superstars of RAW or SmackDown.
By turning heel again, he could fit in seamlessly in NXT, or the main roster. He's been linked to Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits in the last few months. Turning to the dark side once again would align him with that faction, should he join SmackDown.
If he stays in NXT, a heel turn would allow other stars the chance to be the top faces of the brand, alongside Ilja Dragunov. He could battle names like Trick Williams, Tyler Bate, Tony D'Angelo, Eddy Thorpe, and Nathan Frazer.
#3 He could chase the tag team titles with Bron Breakker
Like Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes will forever be linked together in their WWE careers.
They came up in NXT at the same time, and were posited as the top stars of the newest iteration of NXT. Hayes even was picked to take the title from Bron Breakker. Breakker was heavily pushed out of the gate, so that choice was clearly carefully made.
One championship neither Breakker nor Hayes have won yet is the NXT Tag Team title. Chase University captured the belts on Night One of Halloween Havoc.
They could use different challengers, instead of the same teams that have been in the picture for the last two months. The Creeds also don't need to always be in the title chase.
#2 Turning heel would benefit a potential feud with Trick Williams
As mentioned earlier, a heel turn would allow Hayes to test the mettle of the other faces of NXT. One name that has ascended the ranks lately has been his best friend, Trick Williams. He briefly won the North American Championship, but quickly dropped it back to Dominik Mysterio.
Should Hayes turn heel again, the impending feud could have a clear face/heel dynamic. The two have been allies for the entirety of their NXT careers, so a change can refresh both stars. Williams, however, has the loud backing of the fans.
The identity of Trick's attacker will come out eventually, so having Carmelo Hayes turn heel, should he fall to Dragunov next week, would set things up for the rest of 2023.
#1 Carmelo Hayes' attitude is better suited for a heel
Throughout his run in NXT, Carmelo Hayes hasn't lacked confidence. It can be mistaken for arrogance, but in many cases, it comes off in a heelish manner.
After every victory, he hung a jersey with his opponent's name in the rafters. He has also cheated/received help from Williams in most of his wins.
Over the last few months, Hayes has been entirely immersed in his own world as NXT Champion, to care about anything else. Trick wanted to venture out on his own, and Hayes seemed only to passively support his friend.
Whenever Trick tried to have a conversation, Hayes would always claim that he was too busy as the Champion. Hayes' words, attitude, and actions are just better suited for being a heel, so he should forge a new path as a villain.