Christian Brigham (born August 1, 1994) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

. He is currently signed to

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

, where he performs on the

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Carmelo Hayes. Hayes is a former one-time

NXT Cruiserweight Champion The NXT Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship that was created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. Before its retirement, it was defended across the NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live brand divisions, which were de ...

and a former two-time

NXT North American Champion The NXT North American Championship is a professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#Location-specific championships, championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. ...

, which he also has the longest combined reign for. Before signing with WWE, he performed on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...

under the ring name Christian Casanova.

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (2014–2020)

After being trained by Brian Fury, on April 12, 2014, Brigham made his

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

debut for

independent promotion In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor league for pro wr ...

Chaotic Wrestling Chaotic Wrestling (CW) is an American independent wrestling promotion, which has been operating throughout New England since 2000; with its current home base in North Andover, Massachusetts. Chaotic Wrestling is known for producing successful, ...

, losing to Mikey Webb. Over the next few years, he worked for various promotions including Beyond Wrestling, where he won the Pride of New England Tournament for Tomorrow. On March 17, 2016, Brigham won the

Chaotic Wrestling New England Championship The Chaotic Wrestling (CW) New England Championship is a professional wrestling title in American independent promotion Chaotic Wrestling. The title was first won by "Latin Fury" Luis Ortiz in Revere, Massachusetts on February 23, 2001. There have ...

. On March 16, 2018, Casanova won the

Chaotic Wrestling Tag Team Championship The Chaotic Wrestling (CW) Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team Championship (professional wrestling), championship in United States, American Independent circuit, independent promotion Chaotic Wrestling. It was first won by ...

alongside Tripilicious. On March 29, 2019, Casanova won the

Chaotic Wrestling Heavyweight Championship The Chaotic Wrestling (CW) Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship in Chaotic Wrestling. The current champion is Davienne, who is in her second reign. Title history As of , , there have been 47 reigns between 30 champio ...

for the first time, and on August 30, won it a second time, thus making him the Twelfth Triple Crown Champion in Chaotic Wrestling. On December 19, 2020, he won the Vacationland Cup while working for Limitless Wrestling. Carmelo Hayes December 2019

WWE

NXT (2021–present)

On February 12, 2021, Brigham signed a contract with

and was assigned to the

WWE Performance Center The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE wre ...

. He made his in-ring debut on the June 1 episode of ''

'' under the name Carmelo Hayes, accepting

Kushida is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, better known by his mononymous ring name Kushida. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), as well as Impact Wrestl ...

's open challenge for the

NXT Cruiserweight Championship The NXT Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship that was created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. Before its retirement, it was defended across the NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live brand divisions, which were d ...

, but was defeated. On the June 22 episode of ''NXT'', Hayes had his second match, reminiscent of

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...

's ''

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

'' debut in 2002 against

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...

, confronting and then facing

Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Adam Cole. He is also known for his tenures with WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH). Col ...

in a losing effort. In July, Hayes took part in the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament, defeating

Josh Briggs Joshua Bruns (born March 5, 1993) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Josh Briggs. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand. In WWE, he is a one-time NXT UK Tag Team Champion with Brooks Je ...

Duke Hudson Brendan Vink (born 8 February 1990) is an Australian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Duke Hudson. He is also known for his time in Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW), where he was ...

, and

Odyssey Jones Omari Jahi Palmer (born May 17, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Odyssey Jones. Early life Palmer was born in Coram, New York. He attended Longwood ...

to win the tournament. On the September 14 episode of ''NXT'', Hayes and a debuting Trick Williams maliciously attacked Hudson before his match, establishing themselves as a

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...

duo. On the October 12 episode of ''NXT'', Hayes successfully cashed in his Breakout Tournament contract on

Isaiah "Swerve" Scott Stephon Strickland (born September 30, 1990) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Swerve Strickland and is a former AEW World Tag Team Champion (with Keith Lee). ...

to win the

NXT North American Championship The NXT North American Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is primarily defended as the secondary men's championship of the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental ...

. He made his first successful title defense on the November 23 episode of ''NXT'' against

Johnny Gargano John Anthony Nicholas Gargano (born August 14, 1987) is an American professional wrestler best known under the ring name Johnny Gargano. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is best known for his time in NXT, wh ...

and

Pete Dunne Peter Thomas England (born 9 November 1993) is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Butch. He is a former WWE United Kingdom Champion and also a former NXT ...

. After the match, Hayes, Tony D'Angelo,

Bron Breakker Bronson Parmar Rechsteiner (born October 24, 1997) is an American professional wrestler and former American football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Bron Breakker and is the current NXT ...

and

Grayson Waller Matthew Farrelly (born 21 March 1990) is an Australian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Grayson Waller. Before signing to WWE, he previously wrestled on the independent ...

brawled with Gargano, Dunne,

Tommaso Ciampa Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa. Whitney began his career in 2005, working on several independent pro ...

and

LA Knight Shaun Ricker (born November 1, 1982) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name LA Knight. Ricker is known for his time in Impact Wrestling as Eli Drake. Rick ...

, leading to a

WarGames match WarGames is a specialized steel cage match in professional wrestling. The match usually involves two teams of either four, five, or more wrestlers locked inside a steel cage that encompasses two rings placed side by side. The cage may or may not ...

NXT WarGames NXT WarGames (originally known as NXT TakeOver: WarGames) was a professional wrestling event produced annually by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's developmental territ ...

on December 5, where Team 2.0. defeated Team Black and Gold. At New Year's Evil on January 4, 2022, Hayes defeated

Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due to ...

to unify the North American Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship, which was retired. Hayes was recognized as the final Cruiserweight Champion and continued as North American Champion. He retained the title against

Cameron Grimes :not to be confused with actress Camryn Grimes who voices Mrs. Claus in Mickey Saves Christmas Trevor Lee Caddell (born September 30, 1993) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ...

on February 15 at Vengeance Day and on the March 1 episode of ''NXT'' against Dunne, where he announced he would be defending the title in a fatal five-way

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

at Stand & Deliver. At the event on April 2, Grimes won the championship, ending Hayes's reign at 172 days. At

Spring Breakin' Spring Breakin' was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It was held primarily for wrestlers from the NXT brand division. Spring Breakin' aired as a special episode of '' NXT 2.0''. The television special took place on May 3, 2022, at ...

on May 3, he failed to regain the title from in a triple threat match involving

Solo Sikoa Joseph Yokozuna Fatu (born March 18, 1993) is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE. He currently performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Solo Sikoa where he is a member of The Bloodline and a former NXT North American Ch ...

. At

In Your House In Your House (known as NXT TakeOver: In Your House in 2020 and 2021 and then NXT In Your House beginning in 2022) is a professional wrestling series of events created by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The events or ...

on June 4, he defeated Grimes to regain the North American Championship. Hayes went on to retain the title against Tony D'Angelo, Grayson Waller on July 5 at

The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the National Wr ...

Giovanni Vinci Fabian Aichner (born 21 July 1990) is an Italian professional wrestler signed to WWE where he performs on SmackDown brand under the ring name Giovanni Vinci. He is a member of Imperium. Aichner previously worked on the U.S. independent circuit ...

on August 16 at

Heatwave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...

, and

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

on September 4 at Worlds Collide. On the September 13 episode of ''NXT'', Hayes lost the championship to Sikoa, ending his second reign at 101 days. On the October 11 episode of ''WWE Main Event'', Hayes made his main roster debut, defeating

Cedric Alexander Cedric Alexander Johnson (born August 16, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Alexander worked for Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010 until 2016. He started as part of C&C Factory, a ...

. At

Halloween Havoc Halloween Havoc is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE for the company's developmental brand, NXT. As the name implies, it is a Halloween-themed show held in October. It was originally produced as an annual pay-per-view (PPV ...

on October 22, he failed to regain the North American Championship in a ladder match. On the November 22 episode of ''NXT'', Hayes challenged new champion

Wes Lee Deveon Everhart Aikens (born November 2, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Wes Lee, and is the current NXT North American Champion in his first reign ...

for the title in a losing effort.

Championships and accomplishments

* Beyond Wrestling ** Pride of New England Tournament for Tomorrow (2019) *

(2 times) **

(1 time) **

(1 time) ** Twelfth Triple Crown Champion * Liberty States Pro Wrestling ** Liberty States Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Limitless Wrestling ** Limitless Wrestling World Championship (1 time) ** Vacationland Cup (2020) * Lucky Pro Wrestling ** LPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Elia Markopoulos * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' ** Ranked No. 77 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI 500 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...

'' in 2022 *Northeast Championship Wrestling ** NCW New England Championship (1 time) *

Northeast Wrestling Northeast Wrestling (NEW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States and has promoted events since 1996. It is currently owned and operated by promoter Mike Lombardi and is one of the top independe ...

** NEW Live Championship (1 time) *

(

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) **

( 1 time, final) **

NXT Breakout Tournament (2021) WWE has held a variety of different professional wrestling tournaments competed for by professional wrestlers that are part of their roster. Sporadic tournaments The Wrestling Classic The Wrestling Classic, also known as Wrestlevision, was a p ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Carmelo 1994 births Living people 21st-century professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers African-American male professional wrestlers People from Framingham, Massachusetts NXT North American Champions NXT/WWE Cruiserweight Champions