Carmelo Hayes looks back at the Black and Gold era of NXT.
Hayes, who is the current NXT Champion, discussed this topic during his recent appearance on the After The Bell podcast. He says that like many people he was a huge fan of the NXT product between 2014-2019 but acknowledges how the qualify dropped off a bit due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He adds that he always felt like he could be the one to bring that flavor back to the brand.
I remember the Black and Gold era, and everybody talks about it and romanticizes that Black and Gold era so much. And it was great and it was awesome in the peak. But right after the whole thing with COVID and in that ThunderDome era of WWE and NXT, it was kind of on a decline in a way. I remember watching the show as a brand-new signee and I’m thinking, “Man, there’s so much missing here that I feel like I could bring to this show. There just needs to be something — like nobody’s doing this, nobody’s doing this, nobody’s doing this.” I’m like, “Man, I just need the opportunity.
The champ looks back at his debut and how he told Shawn Michaels that he wanted to be a top guy right from the start.
I had worked hard for like four or five months in the Performance Center just getting ready and working the little live event shows that we had. And finally, they gave me a shot. They gave me my name. And then, two days later, they gave me a shot against KUSHIDA for the Cruiserweight Title in my debut. And after that match, I had done really well, but I remember talking to Hunter after. I was like, “Man, I know I could do so much better. And then I remember talking to Shawn. And this is a story that I’ve told a couple of times and just telling Shawn straight up, I said, “Man, I really want to be a top guy. I know I’m undersized, but I don’t want to be a 205 Live guy. I see more from myself.
Elsewhere during the interview, Hayes spoke about his growth on the brand and how he became a main event player. You can read his comments about that here.
(H/T and transcribed by Post Wrestling)