5 Challengers for new NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes

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.