Carmelo Hayes Picked WWE NXT Over Signing With AEW

Carmelo Hayes is flying high. After winning the NXT North American championship, the superstar has been doing his rounds in the wrestling media. Recently, he dropped a spicy tidbit when he told Daily DDT about the opportunities he had before coming to WWE.

Hayes said that his choice came down to one of two places. He also specifically noted that those choices were the top two places. While he never mentions AEW by name, it can be assumed that he’s talking about Tony Khan’s promotion.

I’m going top two and it’s either WWE or somewhere else. Those are my two that I’m going for. That’s all it’s going to be and I’m going to get there somehow, some way’. I had both opportunities right around the same time and I chose WWE and to come here.”

Hayes appears to be on a collision course with Johnny Gargano for his first title defense. The match is not confirmed, but there was an angle where Gargano challenged Carmelo on this week’s NXT 2.0.

Heading into Halloween Havoc, the NXT superstar has a ton of momentum. It looks like WWE sees a high ceiling for Carmelo Hayes. His road to the top continues next week.

NXT Halloween Havoc airs October 26 live on USA. The show will feature a guest appearance by Chucky the killer doll to cross promote the new Chucky tv series.

Can Johnny Gargano beat Carmelo Hayes for the North American title? Share your thoughts in the comments!