Carmelo Hayes

Carmelo Hayes is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE where he is drafted to the NXT brand. He is a former NXT Champion, a former two-time NXT North American Champion and also the superstar who has held the championship for a combined longest period. He is also the last superstar to win the NXT Cruiserweight Championship after he unified it with the North American title. Before joining WWE, Hayes had worked on the indies under the ring name Chrisitan Casanova.

Early Life

Carmelo Hayes' real name is Christian Brigham. He was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, USA on the 1st of August in 1994. Brigham had been interested in pro-wrestling at a young age and started training professionally during his teenage years. He was most prominently trained by Brian Fury, following which he made his debut for Chaotic Wrestling in 2014.

Professional Wrestling Career

Early Years (2014-2021)

After receiving training from Brian Fury, Brigham kicked off his professional wrestling career on April 12, 2014, with a debut match against Mikey Webb at Chaotic Wrestling. He spent the following years honing his skills in various promotions, notably Beyond Wrestling where he emerged victorious in the Pride of New England Tournament for Tomorrow. On March 17, 2016, Brigham claimed the Chaotic Wrestling New England Championship.

His championship journey continued alongside Tripilicious, teaming up to capture the Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Championship on March 16, 2018. In 2019, Brigham's individual career again took a jump, winning the Chaotic Wrestling Heavyweight Championship on March 29th and again on August 30th. He became the promotion's Twelfth Triple Crown Champion following these victories. He further cemented his legacy on December 19, 2020, by conquering the Vacationland Cup during his stint with Limitless Wrestling.

WWE (2021-Present)

In 2021, he signed with WWE and began working for NXT. In June, he made his NXT debut as Carmelo Hayes. Later, he won the NXT Breakout Tournament. In September, he turned heel and aligned himself with Trick Williams. In October, he cashed in his contract and won the North American Championship. At New Year's Evil, he defeated Roderick Strong and unified the NXT Cruiserweight Championship with the North American Championship. At Stand and Deliver, Hayes lost the title to Cameron Grimes.

He would go on to regain the title two months later at In Your House. After various successful title defenses, Hayes lost the belt to Solo Sikoa on the September 13th episode of NXT. He would then challenge for the title against Wes Lee, the new champion, on multiple occasions in a losing effort while also losing in the Iron Survivor challenge. Hayes then partook in the Men's Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline, which Grayson Waller won. He then feuded with Apollo Crews leading to match at NXT Vengeance Day, where Hayes pinned Crews twice in the Best of Three Falls while Crews stayed at zero.

Following his feud with Apollo Crews, Carmelo Hayes set his sights on the ultimate prize: the NXT Championship. After trading victories with Crews, Hayes emerged victorious in a thrilling two-out-of-three-falls match at NXT Vengeance Day. This victory catapulted him to the top of the NXT ladder, and with his sights set on the gold, he confronted NXT Champion Bron Breakker. The highly anticipated clash between Hayes and Breakker was confirmed for NXT Stand & Deliver. With the help of Trick Williams, Hayes defeated Breakker to win the NXT Championship on April 1st, 2023. This win made Hayes the first Superstar to hold the North American, Cruiserweight, and NXT Championships.

The next NXT, Breakker snapped out and brutally attacked him. Hayes defended his title successfully against Breakker at NXT Battleground. Then, Baron Corbin set his sights on the championship, attacking Hayes after a successful title defense against Noam Dar. Hayes made his main roster debut on Raw, facing Finn Bálor in a non-title match in June. He continued his title reign with victories over Corbin at NXT Gold Rush and Ilja Dragunov at NXT The Great American Bash. After the Great American Bash, Trick Williams, informed him that it was time for him to go solo, marking the end of the Trick Melo Gang. At NXT No Mercy, he lost the championship to Ilja Dragunov, ending his reign at 182 days.

On the October 17th episode of NXT, Trick Williams got inserted into the triple threat match between Hayes, Dijak, and Baron Corbin, turning it into a fatal four-way for the opportunity to challenge Dragunov for the NXT Championship at Halloween Havoc. Before the match, Williams was attacked backstage, forcing him to be hospitalized. Hayes emerged victorious, defeating Dijak and Corbin to earn the title shot against Dragunov. However, at Halloween Havoc Night 2, Hayes' quest to regain the championship fell short. He was interfered by the returning Williams, who stood staring at him from the top of the ramp after the match.

On the November 21st episode of NXT. He lost to Josh Briggs in a qualifying match for the Iron Suvivor Challenge at NXT Deadline due to interference from Lexis King. A match between the two superstars was then fixed for Deadline.

Championships and Accomplishments

Carmelo Hayes girlfriend

Carmelo Hayes is currently in a relationship with fellow NXT Superstar Lea Mitchell. Fans better know her by the ring name Kelani Jordan. She was born on October 22, 1998 and is currently 25 years old. Hailing from Boynton Beach, Florida, Jordan made her WWE debut in 2023. She is billed at 5 ft and 5 inches in NXT. During her time here, she once made a tag team alongside former 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke.

Carmelo Hayes Net Worth

As per various sources, WWE Superstar Carmelo Hayes is worth around USD 2 Million in 2023. Do click here to know more about the net worth of the decorated NXT Superstar.