Bron Breakker is more or less set for a match with Carmelo Hayes at Stand and Deliver on WrestleMania weekend. Now sure, technically, something interesting could happen, like Paul “Triple H” Levesque kicking the match to the main WrestleMania 39 card in order to put the “Second Generation Steiner” and the “A-Champ” in front of more eyes ahead of their eventual main roster elevations, or another star could emerge who bests Hayes to earn a shot at Breakker instead, but in all likelihood, Melo will take his shot at the “Top Dawg” in NXT, and he'd better not miss, otherwise, he'll be kicked to the back of the line and forced to feud with Shawn Michaels a la Grayson Waller.

Still, that doesn't mean Breakker couldn't wrestle a few more bodies before his big showcase, right? I mean, WrestleMania 39 weekend is roughly six weeks away, why not give the 25-year-old star a few more matches to get ready for his marquee match?

Fortunately for Breakker, such a challenger has appeared, and this opponent just so happens to be a former WWE Champion who is down in NXT to help manage one of the most physically imposing teams on the entire WWE roster, Indus Sher.

Bron Breakker has his popularity tested by the Maharaja.

Standing in the ring with the NXT World Championship over his shoulder, Breakker began to talk about his future in NXT and who he will be facing next before none other than Jinder Mahal, flanked by Veer Mahaan and Sanga, emerged to talk some turkey, you know, from one champion to another.

“For an entire year, you have held NXT on your back, you are NXT, you are the entire brand,” Mahal said. “But I know very well the weight that you carry on your shoulder. Now Bron, I know very well the stress of the next challenger, the stress of retaining your championship. But not only that, I completely understand all the media, all of the appearances, the late nights, the early mornings, the lifestyle that comes with being the man, the champ. As a former WWE Champion to the current NXT Champion, is this the title run you envisioned? Is this what you dreamt of? Is this what you thought being champion would be like?”

“You’re d*mn straight, what the h*ll are you talking about?” Breakker asked.

“For almost a year, you have been the NXT champion,” Mahal responded. “But you must be deaf if you don’t hear that small pocket of fans who once loved you, but now they’re changing their tune. And it’s okay, Bron, I know better than anyone else that you either die a hero or you become the villain.”

“You know what? Fans are allowed to have their opinions, they can say whatever they want,” Breakker responded.

“That is exactly why I’m here, because of that comment, because of that arrogance,” Mahal said. “The fact that you can not acknowledge what’s going on around you, that you can’t acknowledge that the tides are changing. You can not acknowledge the fact that you are tired, that you are vulnerable, that you are weak. And that’s why I am challenging you to a match next week for that championship.”

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Carmelo Hayes with a text bubble reading "I was able to leave a legacy in NXT" with the NXT logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

Bron Breakker with a text bubble reading "Goodbye NXT" next to Baron Corbin with the NXT logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

Paul Heyman with a text bubble reading "This crop of talent that is taking over the industry right now" with the blacked-out silhouette of Bron Breakker on his left and the blacked-out silhouette of Jade Cargill on his right with the WWE logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ·

“That’s fine by me, Jinder, I’m a simple guy,” Breakker said. “You don’t have to come out here, wasting everyone’s time with what, the new 3-Man Band here? Which one of you plays the guitar, huh?”

“Relax, everyone, relax,” Mahal said. “Bron, these people don’t like you. And I know why you said the 3MB comment, it’s for them to cheer you on. It’s for them to like you, but after I take that championship, they’re still not going to like you. They’re not even going to feel bad for you. But don’t worry, Bron, the Maharaja will.”

Welp, there you go, folks; Breakker's next match is set, his next opponent has been booked, and even if Hayes feels somewhat slighted that he was jumped in line, a sentiment he shared with Trick Williams after his segment with Ilja Dragunov, it's hard to imagine Mahal will become the 28th NXT World Champion, so it's all good. Still, after largely working against developmental talents through his first year or so year in NXT, it'll be interesting to see how Breakker stacks up against Mahal, who has been wrestling since his opponent was in elementary school. Like Tommaso Ciampa, Dolph Ziggler, and Apollo Crews before him, maybe Mahal can bring something new out of Breakker that could prove useful down the line.