Top WWE NXT Stars To Finally Collide For NXT Championship At Stand & Deliver

Breakker is certainly hoping this first-time challenger will miss.

by Scott Carlson
Carmelo Hayes Bron Breakker
WWE.com

It's hard to believe that Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes have never stood across the ring from each other. Not because they've had storied careers that have never intersected, but because it's so unusual for WWE/NXT to resist the temptation to throw hot commodities against each other whenever possible.

But that patience has paid off, as the current NXT Champion will put his title on the line against the former two-time North American Champion at NXT Stand and Deliver next month.

Advertisement

Breakker came out after he and the Creed Brothers defeated Jinder Mahal and Indus Sher and called out Hayes, noting that although they've never intersected in the ring (save for teaming up in WarGames 2021), he's always kept tabs on Melo and watched his matches. Surprisingly, the normally braggadocios Hayes agreed and said he's followed Bron closely as well.

The mutual admiration society continued until they got to the obvious destination: the NXT Championship, which Breakker has held for nearly a year since winning it back from Dolph Ziggler on the Raw after WrestleMania 38. Carmelo (who interestingly came out without Trick Williams) challenged Bron, who immediately accepted. The simplistic staging for this match is notable too, with minimal drama and no soap operatic BS to clog the moment.

This has "match of the show" written on it if both men are on, and it'll be a test to see how they handle the bright lights. Hayes is fantastic, but he's faltered just a bit in big moments, while Breakker has seen his popularity wane in recent months.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.