Before Carmelo Hayes made his way to NXT Vengeance Day for a non-title, Best Two out of Three Falls match against Apollo Crews, he made a bold prediction that he would only need two falls to secure the win and leave Charlotte victorious.
Fast forward to the end of the show, and the “A-Champ” was right, securing two straight falls on the former Intercontinental Champion to the stunned reaction of fans at the Spectrum Center in North Carolina who expected to see Crews secure a pin at some point. Walking out to the ring at the end of the main event, Hayes effectively challenged Bron Breakker on the spot for the NXT World Championship at Stand and Deliver, the brand's contribution to WrestleMania 39 weekend.
Walking out to the ring for the opening segment of NXT, Hayes let the fine folks in Orlando know how he handled things in Charlotte and what his plans were for the future.
“At Vengeance Day, I said I was going to get two straight, and what did I do, Trick?” Hayes asked. “Let’s talk about it. Listen, hey, Apollo, he had the right idea, he just had it with the wrong one. Okay, now I’ve got the whole NXT Universe shook, I mean, they know I am everything I say I am. Okay, they know I am the one, they know that I am him. Listen, history doesn’t lie, I did everything I said I was gonna do, I beat everybody I said I was gonna beat, but there is one more man that needs to get put on a t-shirt. And there is only one event that can hold both of us. This is my destiny, and that man that I’m talking about is-.”
Before Hayes could formally mention Breakker's name, who but JD McDonagh emerged from the back to give the A-Champ a challenge, suggesting that maybe he should be the one who wrestles the “Second-generation Steiner” at Stand and Deliver. Fortunately, after securing a win in their match with a little help from Ilja Dragunov, it's clear Hayes is still the man to bet on to beat Breakker at Stand on Deliver.
Even Carmelo Hayes thought his match at Vengeance Day could have been better.
While most fans were excited to see Hayes secure the win at Vengeance Day, the actual way the match was booked, with the “A-Champ” securing the win 2-0 as the crowd looked on shocked, was more divisive. Why didn't Crews secure a pinfall? Why didn't Shawn Michaels build to a rip-roaring crescendo at 1-1 instead of giving Heyes the win while fan momentum was mid at best? Fortunately, Hayes was asked about the match on Busted Open Radio and overall said he was proud of the match.
“The experience was great,” Hayes said via Fightful. “Maybe I'm a perfectionist in my work, but I feel like there were things I could've done better. Just the connection I felt with the crowd, there were certain things I could have done different or I could have done better. That was my takeaway, but I'm glad it was received well. There was a lot of pressure going into it because Shawn (Michaels) had said, ‘you're gonna steal the show.' The expectations were already high, and I'm glad we met his expectations”
Asked by Bully Ray about what the duo could have done better in the match, Hayes admitted that the decision to end the match at two falls did compromise the reaction from fans somewhat.
“I feel we could have put the stipulation of the match over better,” Hayes said. “An issue, in my mind, is that a lot of people are so programmed to see one fall, one fall, and then go to a third. I don't think people were expecting I was going to to get the two falls. As I'm listening to the crowd, I'm thinking, ‘they're about ready for an Apollo fall at this point.' I felt like there were those down moments where they weren't coming because they were like, ‘when is Apollo going to get his falls so we can really get cooking here.' That's just from a professional standpoint as far as being in there and being involved. I was happy with it. Apollo and I worked hard, we definitely worked hard. I thought all of our stuff was good, but I'm ready to get back out, do it again, and go up that.”
Fortunately for Hayes, his next “Premium Live Event” match should be stipulation free, which will be nice. Unfortunately, it will be against one of the most winningest men in NXT history after twelve-straight successful defenses of the strap. No pressure, right?
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