Carmelo Hayes describes what being "Him" means.
Hayes has risen to the top of NXT, as he is the reigning NXT Champion. He has worked his way up the ladder ever since he signed with WWE in 2021, as he has held the NXT Cruiserweight Championship and the NXT North American Championship. At NXT Stand & Deliver, Hayes defeated Breakker to win the NXT Championship. As he became a main-event player in NXT, Hayes started saying that he is "Him" as a sign of his confidence.
Speaking on WWE After The Bell with Corey Graves, Hayes described how he is "Him", and he noted that the saying reflects his journey in NXT.
"It’s really the journey of my progression, in a way. There was a period of time when I had the North American Championship and I was calling myself the A Champ. At that time, I truly believed I was the most important champion on the brand. For a long time it was ‘The A Champ’ and then when I lost the championship, I called myself ‘One of One’ to that starry light, ‘there is only one of me.’ On the journey to get the NXT Title, it was really like, ‘I’m the guy, I’m Him.’ If anybody is going to be the guy and take that title and do it, it’s me, I am Him. That’s where Him came from, where it was; you can’t deny me, I’m the guy. It’s another thing in pop culture and sports, Him is very popular. When guys do something great, they self-proclaim themselves, ‘I am Him, I am the one, I am the guy. I am Him.’ I think it carries weight. It’s ‘Boom. Him," Hayes said.
Hayes will defend the NXT Championship against Bron Breakker at NXT Battleground. Check out the card here.
Check out the card for the May 16 episode of WWE NXT here. Fightful will have live coverage of the show as it airs.
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