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Carmelo Hayes reflects on his NXT legacy ahead of the WWE Draft

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Matty Breisch | Last updated 4/17/24

After taking a loss to Trick Williams at Stand & Deliver in South Philadelphia, Carmelo Hayes found himself in an unusual spot in the WWE Universe, with his time in NXT potentially up due to the forthcoming WWE Draft whether he wanted it to be or not.

Is it a shame to see “Him” exit the promotion as a loser instead of on top? Totally, that’s likely why he went out of his way to have one more match with Williams at the Performance Center in Orlando to get some closure in front of his “home” crowd, but in the end, Melo knows he left it all in the ring, as he noted in an interview with Jeff Johnson all about his legacy.

“I mean, truthfully I’ve been able to accomplish everything I really set out to accomplish in NXT. Since I stepped foot in there, my first match was for the Cruiserweight Championship,” Carmelo Hayes told Jeff Johnson via 411 Mania. “I told Shawn [Michaels] straight-up, I said, ‘Hey, I want to be a top guy, period.’ He said, ‘I see that for you.’ I said, I see that for myself. I stayed true to my word, stayed true on his word. I was able to leave a legacy I think in NXT. More than anything, there’s a lot of guys I looked up to when I got there, and I lot of guys who you still talk about when you talk about NXT, the Coles, the Garganos, the Ciampas, and that’s just the men. So I want to be one of those guys that when they talk about NXT in five years, young dudes on NXT saying, ‘I want to be like a Carmelo Hayes.”

You know, you have to give it to Hayes, even after dropping to matches to Williams on his way out of the door, his legacy in NXT is more or less set as he heads up to the main roster, with four different title reigns since 2022 placing him in an elite company in relation to the best performers the promotion has to offer. As WWE prepares for this next era, it’s safe to say Hayes and Bron Breakker will go down as Shawn Michaels’ first two major success stories.

**Karrion Kross predicts domination for the Final Testament in NXT.**

Speaking of WWE Superstars coming and going from NXT, Karrion Kross and his Final Testament have made their way down to developmental over the past few weeks after losing their match to Bobby Lashley and his Pride at WrestleMania 40.

While some fans might not be sure why Kross wants to return to NXT alongside Scarlett, AOP, and Paul Ellering, for the former Champion, it comes down to one thing above all others: they go wherever they want.

“Ladies and gentlemen, have you heard the word on the street? You know what they’re saying, Paul? ‘What is Final Testament doing in NXT?’ Are they on Tuesdays, or are they on Fridays?’ We go wherever we want. We go wherever we want,” Karrion Kross said in a WWE digital exclusive via Fightful. “We just happened to be in the neighborhood, and we decided to beat some people up. Just wanted to check out how things are doing down here because when we were here, well, I mean, I’m trying to be modest, humility and all that, we ran through everybody. Every single person who was a name in this business, we ran through them real fast. We just wanted to see what was happening down here. We’re also curious to know what was going on on Mondays, Fridays. Sami, Priest, Cody, new tag champs, it’s all looking very appetizing. Down here, you guys should hear it. Everybody’s ready to piss their pants. All of a sudden, ‘Oh, they’re gonna take away our opportunities.’ Of course we are. It’s coming. This is just a taste. We’re taking all of it away. Everything we did before, we can do again. Win or loss, I promise you, I give you my word, you will never be the same again when we are done with you. So sayeth The Final Testament.”

Now granted, Kross’ efforts in NXT are not 100 percent foolproof, as the faction could be drafted to RAW, SmackDown, or even by Ava in developmental in order to fully become a member of the brand for the next year. Still, Kross’ assertion is valid all the same, and as a result, it’s interesting to see where the faction goes moving forward, as it’s clear WWE is looking for a way to make the group work for better or worse.