MVP Puts Over WWE NXT Star In Very Personal Way

MVP had a famously tough start to his life, but upon making his way into professional wrestling, the two-time United States Champion found much success through hard-work. MVP also won the WWE Tag Team Championships once alongside Matt Hardy, became the first ever IWGP Intercontinental Championship in New Japan, and has managed Bobby Lashley to two WWE Championship wins in the last two years. WWE's developmental program, "NXT," has many young talents, with MVP praising the two-time North American Champion, Carmelo Hayes, on Twitter: "There's a guy down in NXT. He kind of looks like this guy. And like this guy, he doesn't miss! # ballin," along with posting a gif of himself in 2007. Naturally, fans quickly seized on the idea that MVP should manage Hayes next.

Hayes made his "NXT" debut prior to the rebranding of the show to "NXT 2.0," winning the 2021 Breakout Tournament after defeating Odyssey Jones in the finals. Hayes cashed in his contract on Swerve Strickland, known as Isaiah "Swerve" Scott in WWE, to win his first North American Championship. Hayes lost the title to Cameron Grimes in a ladder match WrestleMania 38 weekend at Stand and Deliver also involving Grayson Waller, Santos Escobar, and Solo Sikoa, however, Hayes would beat Grimes for the title just over two months later on an episode of "NXT."

On the September 13 edition of "NXT, Hayes held an open challenge to anyone who wanted a match for the North American Championship, an invitation that was taken by Sikoa, who then defeated Hayes for the title following his main roster debut the week prior. Sikoa relinquished the North American Championship on the September 20 epsiode of "NXT," and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels announced that at Halloween Havoc the North American Championship will be on the line in another ladder match and thus far, the participants are Hayes and Oro Mensah. Perhaps if MVP got his way, he would be in Hayes' corner for that match.