5 Challengers for new NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes

Carmelo Hayes has made an immediate impact in WWE since his NXT debut. On this week's episode of NXT 2.0, Hayes defeated Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott to win the NXT North American Championship following Swerve's hard-fought victory over Santos Escobar in the main event. Carmelo cashed in his contract for a title match of his choosing that he won in this year's NXT Breakout Tournament.

Carmelo Hayes has been on a roll since the very beginning on NXT. He faced KUSHIDA in a very good contest for the Cruiserweight Championship on his debut and then took Adam Cole to the limit in a fun opener a few weeks later. Following those losses, Hayes defeated Josh Briggs, Duke Hudson and Odyssey Jones to win the Breakout Tournament and earn a championship opportunity.

With Carmelo now the new NXT North American Champion, there will be new challengers who arise and want a shot at the breakout star. He will of course have Trick Williams in his corner, but the opponents will be coming from all ends. In this article, let's take a look at the 5 challengers for the new NXT North American Champion.

---

5) NXT's Von Wagner

Von Wagner is about the new NXT 2.0 movement and seems to have the management behind him. He has been closely aligned with Kyle O'Reilly since coming to his aide following an attack from Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland. On his first night on the brand, he was inserted into a Fatal Four Way Match for the NXT Championship, which brought a lot of eyes on the young star.

Von Wagner is a work in progress and will need big opportunities to keep improving. Being in the ring with superstars like O'Reilly and Dunne helps him look better than he may be in the infancy of his career. Despite the youth movement going on in NXT 2.0, there are quite a few performers that have experience and can help other younger talents.

At just 27 years old, Carmelo Hayes has so much experience with his in-ring career starting in 2008. He has been up and down the independent wrestling circuit and can elevate those around him. NXT obviously sees his potential and has given him time to shine. Now as North American Champion, he can help with the progression of a talent like Von Wagner.

4) NXT's Dexter Lumis

Since rebranding NXT in 2.0, Carmelo Hayes has had a subtle heel turn, aligning with Trick Williams to give him a new edge. He needs to mix it up with established babyfaces to help garner heat from the fans. Someone that the CWC has embraced is Dexter Lumis.

Lumis was part of the longest running storyline that culminated in the first NXT 2.0 episode with his wedding to Indi Hartwell. The In-Dex saga dominated television for the brand and helped get over the loveable couple as fan favorites. Lumis hasn't said more than two words yet and gets one of the best reactions from the NXT fanbase.

Dexter Lumis hasn't wrestled for NXT 2.0 yet since coming back from his honeymoon, but he could insert himself into the North American Championship scene and not look out of place. Carmelo Hayes could have his biggest threat in the silent assassin.

Carmelo Hayes has mixed it up with agile and bigger opponents, but he may not have met anyone in NXT like Dexter Lumis. Lumis is very unpredictable and can beat his opponent in many ways. Dexter can wear down competitors to finish them with the Silence or even show off his sneaky athleticism. Carmelo may not be ready for everything that Lumis has to offer one-on-one.

3) NXT's Johnny Gargano

Many fans have taken issue with NXT 2.0 featuring less competitive contests and shorter bouts since the rebrand. It remains to be seen if the in-ring product of the traditional TakeOvers will take a similar hit.

However, Carmelo Hayes will be looking to tear it up at his first opportunity on the main stage. The next entry might be the perfect opponent to allow the new North American Champion to shine.

Johnny Gargano has become synonymous with the TakeOver stage. Whether it be in singles or tag team competition, no other competitor has stolen the show at TakeOver as many times as Johnny Wrestling. Gargano has put on classics with Tommaso Ciampa, FTR and Adam Cole. This is why he has earned the moniker of "Johnny TakeOver" as well.

Gargano has taken a backseat since the NXT 2.0 rebrand with just one appearance during the In-Dex wedding. He has to spend more time at home as his wife Candice LaRae is pregnant with the couple's first child. Gargano also has to be prepared to re-negotiate his contract with WWE as it is set to expire in December.

With all of that on his mind, it might be tough to focus completely on in-ring competition. However, Johnny Gargano could enter the North American Championship scene. He has won the title more times than anyone else with three title reigns. Gargano vs. Hayes is a tantalizing matchup that any fan would love to see.

2) NXT's Santos Escobar

Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott didn't make this list due to him along with Hit Row graduating from NXT 2.0 to the SmackDown brand starting on October 22nd. Fans expected him to lose the North American Championship following their inclusion in this year's WWE Draft. Santos Escobar was viewed by many as the man who would beat Swerve.

The two men faced each other in a strong main event on this week's show. Escobar came in with a foolproof plan, taking out Swerve's Hit Row stablemates to give him the numbers advantage. However, Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams helped Scott fend off Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde to allow him to beat Santos.

The decision to assist Swerve may have been to further help Carmelo cash in on his title match contract, but it can also be seen as revenge. On the September 7th, 2021 episode of NXT, Santos Escobar defeated Carmelo Hayes thanks to help from Legado Del Fantasma. This set the stage for Trick Williams to debut and help Hayes find his edge.

With Carmelo now the new North American Champion, Santos Escobar can take offense to his involvement in his loss against Scott, but he can also stake claim to being the number one contender due to his previous win over Hayes. Legado Del Fantasma and Trick Williams are sure to be involved in this feud, which makes it even more intriguing on several levels.

1) NXT's KUSHIDA

Santos Escobar isn't the only competitor to own a singles victory over the new NXT North American Champion though. The man who beat Santos for the Cruiserweight Championship is also the first to beat Carmelo Hayes on the brand. Upon winning the Cruiserweight gold, KUSHIDA wanted to elevate the title and decided to put out an open challenge.

The first opponent to answer this open challenge was none other than Carmelo Hayes in his first contest in NXT. The two men had a highly competitive bout where Hayes impressed the CWC crowd and showed his awesome potential. He was on the brink of victory when KUSHIDA applied the Hoverboard Lock and was able to get the win.

KUSHIDA has been busy dealing with the Diamond Mine over the past few weeks. The stable used the numbers game to help Roderick Strong finally defeat KUSHIDA to become the new NXT Cruiserweight Champion. His focus still seems on regaining the title that he cherishes the most, but KUSHIDA has also vied for the North American Title in the past.

At NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day, KUSHIDA faced then-North American Champion Johnny Gargano in a fantastic contest that was the best of the evening. Since coming so close to that win, he hasn't had another opportunity at the prestigious title, but Carmelo Hayes being the new champion may change that.

KUSHIDA could use his previous victory over the new NXT North American Champion to challenge for the title that has eluded him in the past. KUSHIDA also has plenty of experience against opponents similar in style to Carmelo Hayes from his previous run in NJPW, including Ricochet and Kenny Omega. He needs to use that history to find a way to beat Hayes once again.

This is the type of matchup that wouldn't look out of place at all on the NXT TakeOver stage and could be a potential showstealer. This also fits the bill in giving Carmelo Hayes a strong babyface to further his heel act with Trick Williams. KUSHIDA has an arsenal that would rally the crowd behind him and allow Melo to further grow comfortable in his new role.

Regardless of where it takes place, KUSHIDA is the type of opponent that knows how to make their opponent look that much better to the NXT Universe. The experience that he has and their impressive previous encounter only brings optimism. That's why KUSHIDA may just be the best challenger for the new NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes.