Carmelo Hayes won the NXT Breakout Tournament earlier this year, and he cashed in on his title opportunity this week on WWE NXT 2.0
Hayes treated the title shot like a Money in the Bank contract by using it on NXT North American Isaiah “Swerve” Scott to win the gold.
Prior to Hayes’ cash-in, Scott successfully defended his title against Santos Escobar with a huge win that featured absolutely no help from Hit Row, who had been “abducted” prior to the show. Swerve started out on fire, cutting off Escobar during his entrance and sending him into the steel steps before the match even began.
For Eddie. ❤️ #WWENXT #NXTNATitle @swerveconfident @EscobarWWE pic.twitter.com/nOWIFbflVY
— WWE (@WWE) October 13, 2021
Later in the match, Scott was nearly done for when Legado del Fantasma came down to the ring, but both Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams ran down to offer some help. Swerve then threw Escobar into an exposed turnbuckle before hitting the JML Driver to retain the title. That being said, he quickly suffered a cruel twist of fate.
Almost immediately after the match, Hayes dropped Scott with a huge right hand and said he would be cashing in his title. After trying to hit a crossbody on Swerve though, Hayes was countered and dealt a huge kick to give Swerve a chance. Hayes wouldn’t be denied though, and he landed a kick of his own that dropped Swerve and set him up for a diving leg drop. The challenger then clinche the win with a pin, so he won the title.
The show ended with Hayes celebrating the title, and this loss likely marks the end of Swerve’s time in NXT. The now-former NXT North American Champion was recently drafted to Friday Night SmackDown, ending a tenure that was fairly successful one for the charismatic star.
The #WWENXT ARENA IS ON THEIR FEET! ? @Carmelo_WWE is your NEW #WWENXT #NorthAmerican Champion!!! #AndNew #NXTNATitle @_trickwilliams pic.twitter.com/SpsWaiXfy5
— WWE (@WWE) October 13, 2021
RELATED: WWE NXT Results (10/12/21)
