Next Tuesday’s WWE NXT New Year’s Evil special will feature a Title Unification Match between NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong and NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes.
WWE has revealed that the new name of the unified title will be the NXT North American Cruiserweight Title. The new name was revealed in WWE’s official match preview for Strong vs. Hayes.
WWE wrote, “Who is the premier champion of NXT, North American Champion Carmelo Hayes or Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong? Each Superstar has been claiming that his Championship is the top title in NXT and the time has come for these Superstars to put their money where their mouths are, by going title for title at New Year’s Evil. Since cashing in his NXT Breakout Tournament contract to swipe the North American Title, Hayes has been on a mission to elevate the title to the ‘A Championship’ of NXT. Meanwhile, Strong has been on the hunt for ‘Big Money Fights’ suspending the stipulations for the Cruiserweight Title to take on all competitors, including Odyssey Jones and Joe Gacy. With both Superstars declaring their superiority over NXT 2.0, it was only a matter of time before their paths crossed resulting in a ringside melee. Who will walk out of New Year’s Evil as the new NXT North American Cruiserweight Champion? Find out Jan. 4 at 8/7 C on USA!”
There have been rumors on WWE making major changes to the WWE 205 Live show and the cruiserweight division. Strong has defended the title against several wrestlers who are above the 205 pound weight limit, and the 205 Live show has featured women’s division matches, and matches with larger Superstars, for a few months now. However, it looks like they are sticking with the cruiserweight division based on the new name of the title after Tuesday’s unification bout.
Stay tuned for more on NXT New Year’s Evil. You can click here for the current card.
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