8 Ups And 0 Downs For WWE NXT (Jun 22)

Ups...

8. Carmelo Hayes Showcases Ruthless Aggression, Bay Bay

Once again proving to be one of the smartest cats in the CWC (sorry Finn), Adam Cole opened this week's NXT by declaring that he wouldn't be picking an opponent for tonight's show just because William Regal and new special enforcer Samoa Joe said so. Sure enough, the self proclaimed "New King of NXT" was soon met with an unexpected challenger, with none other than recent Cruiserweight Championship Open Challenge competitor Carmel Hayes looking to convince Cole to break a sweat.

After a cute call-back to a legendary debut, equipped with enough Ruthless Aggression to power a whole era, Hayes let rip at the former NXT Champion and an intriguing veteran vs. NXT newbie contest ensured.

Cole was in his absolute element here, channelling his inner douchebag to perfection as he toyed with Hayes after neckbreakers, pump kicks, and various stages of control. Yet, Hayes wasn't here to be overshadowed and exploded back into the match on the back of his own pump kick, a sweet cutter reversal of a suplex, and a codebreaker Le Champion would be proud of. Hayes makes this look frighteningly easy, it must be said.

In the end, only one of these two was set for a big-time match in two week's time, so the eventual victor was pretty much a given. But the manner in which Hayes took Cole's Panama Sunrise proved to be yet another reminder of exactly what level of talent we were dealing with here, and a loss to the most successful NXT Champion of all time isn't the worst way to spend your Tuesday night.