CARMELO HAYES

Christian Brigham is a 29-year-old professional wrestler from Worcester, Massachusetts. He is currently signed with WWE and performs on SmackDown under the ring name, Carmelo Hayes.

Brigham began wrestling in 2014 and performed for various promotions including Beyond Wrestling, Chaotic Wrestling, Liberty States Wrestling, Limitless Wrestling, Lucky Pro Wrestling, Northeast Championship Wrestling, and Northeast Wrestling.

Brigham Signs with WWE

On February 12, 2021, Christian Brigham signed a contract with WWE and was assigned to the WWE Performance Center. He made his in-ring debut on the June 1st episode of NXT under the name Carmelo Hayes. At his debut, Hayes accepted Kushida’s open challenge for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship but lost. On the June 22nd episode of NXT, Hayes had his second match on NXT, where he confronted and fought Adam Cole but was defeated.

On July 6, WWE announced that Hayes would be a part of the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament. In the first round of the tournament, on the July 27 episode of NXT, Hayes defeated Josh Briggs in the first round. He then went on to defeat Duke Hudson in the semi-finals on the August 17 episode. He then defeated Odyssey Jones on the August 24th episode to win the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament. On the September 14th episode of NXT, Hayes and a debuting Trick Williams attacked Duke Hudson before his match, establishing themselves as a heel duo.

Carmelo Hayes Wins Tournament & NXT North American Title

On the October 12th episode of NXT 2.0, Hayes successfully cashed in his Breakout Tournament contract on Isaiah Swerve Scott and won the NXT North American Championship. He successfully defended his title against Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne in a triple threat match on the November 23rd episode.

At the special New Year’s Evil episode of NXT 2.0 on January 4 2022, Hayes defeated NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong. As a result, this unified the North American Championship and Cruiserweight Championship. The Cruiserweight Championship was immediately retired, with Hayes recognized as the final Cruiserweight Champion and continuing as North American Champion. 

Hayes successfully retained his championship against Cameron Grimes at the Vengeance Day special episode on February 15, 2022. On March 1, edition of NXT, he also retained title against Pete Dunne.

At NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Hayes lost the NXT North American Championship to Cameron Grimes in a fatal five way match against Grimes, Santos Escobar, Solo Sikoa and Grayson Waller.

Hayes got his rematch in a Triple Threat match at NXT Spring Breakin’ against Cameron Grimes and Solo Sikoa in a losing effort. At NXT In Your House, Hayes defeated Cameron Grimes to regain his North American Championship.

On the September 13th episode Carmelo Hayes lost the NXT North American Championship to Solo Sikoa. His reign lasted 101 days. On the October 11th episode of WWE Main Event, Hayes made his main roster debut defeating Cedric Alexander. Weeks later, he failed to regain the North American Championship in a ladder match at Halloween Havoc. The next month, he challenged Wes Lee for the title in a losing effort.

Carmelo Hayes Wins NXT Championship

Hayes began feuding with Apollo Crews, trading victories with each other, leading to a two out of three falls match at NXT Vengeance Day, where Hayes defeated Crews in two straight falls. After weeks of teasing, a match between Hayes and Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship was confirmed for NXT Stand & Deliver. With help from Trick Williams, Hayes defeated Breakker on April 1, 2023 to win the NXT Championship in the main event of Stand & Deliver. At NXT Battleground on May 28, Hayes successfully defended the NXT Championship against Breakker.

On the May 30th episode of NXT, Carmelo Hayes successfully defended the NXT Championship against Noam Dar. Hayes made his main roster debut on the June 26th episode of RAW, where he was defeated by Finn Bálor in a non-title match. The following night at NXT Gold Rush, Hayes successfully defended the NXT Championship against Corbin. At NXT The Great American Bash on July 30th, Hayes successfully defended the title against Ilja Dragunov.

On the following episode of NXT, Williams told Hayes that he needed to leave and shine on his own, breaking up the Trick Melo Gang. At NXT No Mercy on September 30th, Hayes lost the NXT Championship to Dragunov. His reign lasted 182 days. Earlier that night, Williams defeated “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio to become the new NXT North American Champion. He lost the title back to Mysterio on NXT three days later.

Hayes Debuts on SmackDown

On Night 2 of NXT: Halloween Havoc, Hayes failed to regain the title from Dragunov. On the November 21st episode of NXT, Josh Briggs defeated Hayes to qualify for the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline. This led to a match made between Hayes and King at NXT Deadline, which Hayes won. On the December 12th episode of NXT, Hayes accused Dragunov of attacking Williams in October and himself early that night, which Dragunov denied.

Carmelo Hayes
Carmelo Hayes

Birth name: Christian Brigham
Born: August 1, 1994, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Height: 5’11 (178 cm)
Weight: 176 lb (80 kg)
Ring name(s): Christian Casanova, Carmelo Hayes
Current Roster: WWE SmackDown
Finishing move(s): Fedora Frog Splash

Carmelo Hayes’ Social Media:

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Carmelo Hayes Photos

Career Championships & Accomplishments

  • Beyond Wrestling
    • Pride of New England Tournament for Tomorrow
  • Chaotic Wrestling
    • CW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
    • Chaotic Wrestling New England Championship (1 time)
    • Tag Team Championship (1 time)
  • 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)
  • Northeast Championship Wrestling
    • NCW New England Championship (1 time)
  • Northeast Wrestling
    • NEW Live Championship (1 time)
  • World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
    • NXT North American Championship (2 times)
    • NXT Championship (1 time)
    • Cruiserweight Championship (1 time, final)
    • NXT Breakout Tournament (2021)