Carmelo Hayes made history on Tuesday when he unified his North American Championship with Roderick Strong‘s Cruiserweight Title.
The Unification Championship match kicked off NXT New Year’s Evil, and it was made clear before the bout that the victor would be dubbed the new North American Champion, completely getting rid of any Cruiserweight credentials. Hayes and Strong started off the match in an athletic stalemate. he bout then turned into a fast-paced and competitive battle between the veteran and the young NXT upstart.
.@Carmelo_WWE and @roderickstrong are putting it all on the line in this #UnificationMatch!!
Who will walk out of #NXTNYE as #WWENXT North American Champion? pic.twitter.com/ccFn3u353b
— WWE (@WWE) January 5, 2022
Submission holds were heavily featured throughout the match, but in the end, Hayes emerged victorious. After a see-saw battle of close calls, he hit his leaping Fame Asser off the top rope for the win.
