Bron Breakker Feels 'It's Time' For WWE NXT Title Match Against This Star

Few "WWE NXT" stars have experienced the sort of dominant run that current "NXT" Champion Bron Breakker is on. Not only did he recently pass 300 days as champion, but he's also defeated greats like Tommaso Ciampa, Dolph Ziggler, and WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther. Saturday night, Breaker added another victim to his long list of challengers — Grayson Waller. Waller just barely came up short in a steel cage match for the "NXT" Championship, but what was even more interesting was the way the show wrapped up. Carmelo Hayes arrived on the scene and implied that he was coming for the "NXT" title next after his victory over Apollo Crews in a two-out-of-three falls match earlier in the evening.

"It's time," Breaker told Sports Illustrated after Saturday's Vengeance Day event. "I have a lot of respect for Carmelo Hayes, and this has been a long time coming. It's time to settle the debate on who is the best." Similar to how Breakker's journey has played out in the main event scene, Hayes has been dominating the mid-card of "NXT" since first appearing on television. The athletic, stylish star has already held the "NXT" North American Championship twice, and was the final holder of the "NXT" Cruiserweight Championship. Shortly after arriving in "NXT" in 2021, Hayes also won the annual Breakout Tournament.

Breakker and Hayes have crossed paths in the past, but on the same side rather than opposing. In December 2021, Hayes and Breakker were both part of the WarGames match between "NXT" Black & Gold and "NXT" 2.0. The up-and-coming stars pulled out the victory on that night.