Two NXT championships will merge to become one at New Year's Evil 2022.
On tonight's episode of WWE NXT, Carmelo Hayes and Roderick Strong have agreed to meet in a match at New Year’s Evil on January 4 that will unify the NXT North American and NXT Cruiserweight Championships.
Carmelo Hayes said, "Hey Roderick Strong, you want smoke with Melo? Well, I got so much smoke that you gonna choke. 'Cause I am the A-Champion and in 2021 when I shot, I never missed. Going into 2022, we gonna keep it the exact same way. so at new year's evil, I'mma give you a Christmas present and I'mma give you that match, but I'mma be the one walking out with two titles."
While both parties have accepted the match, the match will be made official next week as a contract signing will be held with Wade Barrett presiding over the proceedings.
The NXT North American Championship was instituted in 2018. Since then 11 men have held the championship. Johnny Gargano held the title on three separate occasions.
7 of the 11 former Champions are no longer with WWE. The 4 that are still with the company are Damian Priest, Ricochet, and the two combatants in next week's match, Roderick Strong and Carmelo Hayes.
The NXT Cruiserweight Championship has been around since 2016 and the Cruiserweight division has undergone many changes since the Cruiserweight Classic Tournament in 2016. Originally, the division was exclusive to Monday Night Raw in addition to a live episode of 205 Live every week. Now, the division is exclusive to NXT and 205 Live is no longer a Cruiserweight showcase and acts as a secondary platform for the NXT brand.
New Year's Evil has additional Championship matches scheduled for it including the second meeting between Bron Breakker and Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship. Learn more here.
If you missed any of tonight's episode of NXT, catch up with our live coverage here. Also, make sure to tune in to our review podcast here.