Reports - NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes has impressed WWE backstage personnel
According to a report from Fightful, current NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes has impressed viewers both at home and backstage with his latest in-ring performances. Hayes has even reportedly caught the eye of WWE veteran Shawn Michaels, considering Hayes as his ‘project’.
While he has already been impressive in NXT over the last few months, a match against Kushida in early June opened the door for several opportunities for Hayes. This eventually led to a match against former WWE NXT Champion, Adam Cole.
The A Champion in the physical form https://t.co/8fntov6HrX
Fightful has also learned from another high-level NXT source that Michaels seemingly sees a lot of himself in the form of Carmelo Hayes. In recent weeks, a photo of Hayes and Michaels was seen on Instagram after the NXT sensation captured the WWE NXT North American Championship.
According to WWE backstage sources, the idea behind the title change between Carmelo Hayes and Swerve Scott was to establish a new star in the form of Hayes by having him win the championship, while protecting Swerve Scott at the same time.
Speaking about being the #WWENXT North American Champion, @Carmelo_WWE told @SInow, "I'm just going to keep working and keep grinding. I have one speed, and that's full speed. That's why I got this opportunity. I treat every day like it's WrestleMania."
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As the report suggests, Carmelo Hayes was talked about for the Cruiserweight Division and could've been a part of 205 Live. Unfortunately for Hayes, the many WWE releases meant Hayes wouldn't go on to be a part of the Cruiserweight Division.
Carmelo Hayes signed with WWE earlier in 2021
In early 2021, Carmelo Hayes signed a contract with WWE.
On the 6th of July, it was announced that Hayes would be a part of the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament. On 27th July, Hayes faced Josh Briggs and defeated him in the first round itself.
He then faced off against Duke Hudson in the semi-finals and was victorious. He ultimately fought off Odyssey Jones in the finals and stood tall by securing another impressive win.
On the 12th October episode of NXT 2.0, Carmelo Hayes successfully cashed in his Breakout Tournament contract to win the North American Championship from Isaiah "Swerve" Scott.