Carmelo Hayes Thinks Of His WWE NXT Tenure Like College, Wants To Win The Title Before He Graduates - Exclusive

Carmelo Hayes will challenge Bron Breakker at NXT Stand & Deliver this weekend, and if he wins the match, he'll walk out of Los Angeles' Crypto.com Arena with the NXT Championship. Hayes has been part of WWE's developmental brand for over two years now, so he may be called up to the main roster in the near future. However, the promising superstar hopes to win the big one in "NXT" before that happens.

In an exclusive interview with Wrestling INC.'s Senior Lead News Editor Miles Schneiderman, Hayes compared his "NXT" experience to college as he's been part of the brand through several iterations, and he's currently positioned in a senior spot.

"I feel like that black and gold era was my freshman year and then we get into 2.0, and winning the championship is like my sophomore year. Then, winning it back the second time was like my junior year, and then going into the white and gold is like my senior year. I feel like I've got it down now, I'm a senior, I'm up at the top of the class. I feel like I've been at the top of the class for a while, but especially as a senior, varsity style, we're at the top of the class."

Afterward, Hayes said that he wants to win the "NXT" Championship before he moves up to the main roster, as it will cap off his tenure in WWE's developmental system and make his journey feel more complete. "I think that [the championship], that's the button on everything, it's the cherry on top of a great NXT run. So many NXT legends, and guys on the main roster too, I'd love to hang my hat on the fact that I held the NXT title," he said.