Christian Brigham (August 1, 1994) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Carmelo Hayes. In NXT, Hayes is a one-time NXT Champion and a two-time NXT North American Champion.
Professional wrestling career[]
Beyond Wrestling (2015–2020)[]
On January 23, 2015, Brigham debuted in a Six Man Tag Team Match with Drew Mastone and Kevin Park where they defeated 2Buff, Ace Romero and Xavier Bell. During his career in this promotion he'd win a Pride Of New England Tournament For Tomorrow, where he defeated Kenn Doane, Alec Price and Richard Holliday in a tournament First Round, Semifinal and Final.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2021-present)[]
NXT[]
NXT North American Champion[]
On February 12, 2021, Brigham signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to the WWE Performance Center. He would make his in-ring debut on the June 1 episode of NXT under the ring name Carmelo Hayes where he accepted Kushida's open challenge for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship but was defeated. On the June 22 episode of NXT, Hayes had his second match on NXT, reminiscent of John Cena's SmackDown debut in 2002 against Kurt Angle, confronting and then fighting Adam Cole, in a losing effort.
On July 6, Hayes was announced to be a part of the 2021 NXT Breakout 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, before defeating Odyssey Jones on the August 24 episode to win the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament. On the September 14 episode of NXT, Hayes and a debuting Trick Williams maliciously attacked Duke Hudson before his match, establishing themselves as a heel duo.
On the October 12 episode of NXT 2.0, Hayes successfully cashed in his Breakout Tournament contract on Isaiah "Swerve" Scott to win the NXT North American Championship. Hayes made his first defence on the November 23 episode of NXT, defeating Pete Dunne and Johnny Gargano in a Triple Threat Match. After the bout, Hayes, Bron Breakker, Grayson Waller, and Tony D'Angelo would brawl with Dunne, Gargano, LA Knight, and Tommaso Ciampa. This resulted in Team 2.0 defeating Team Black and Gold in a WarGames Match at the namesake event on December 5. At New Year's Evil on January 4, 2022, Hayes defeated Roderick Strong to unify the NXT Cruiserweight Championship with the North American Championship. The following month, at Vengeance Day, Hayes retained his North American Championship against Cameron Grimes, before retaining against Pete Dunne on the March 1 episode of NXT.
At Stand & Deliver on April 2, Hayes lost his North American Championship to Cameron Grimes in a Five Way Ladder Match. Hayes attempted to regain the title from Grimes in a Triple Threat Match at Spring Breakin', but was unsuccessful. At In Your House on June 4, Hayes would finally defeat Grimes to capture the North American Championship for a second time. Hayes went on to retain the title against the likes of Tony D'Angelo, Grayson Waller, Nathan Frazer, Giovanni Vinci, and Ricochet. On the September 13 episode of NXT, Hayes was defeated by Solo Sikoa, bringing his second North American Championship reign to an end.
Hayes made his main roster debut on the October 13 episode of Main Event, defeating Cedric Alexander. At Halloween Havoc on October 22, Hayes attempted to regain the North American Championship in a Five Way Ladder Match, but was unsuccessful. On the November 22 episode of NXT, Hayes faced North American Champion Wes Lee in a losing effort. At Deadline on December 10, Hayes competed in the Iron Survivor Challenge, racking up two points, but failing to win. Hayes then began a feud with Apollo Crews, defeating him in two straight falls in a Two out of Three Falls Match at Vengeance Day on February 4, 2023. Later that night, after NXT Champion Bron Breakker defeated Grayson Waller, Hayes would appear, teasing a future match between the two.
NXT Champion[]
The title match between Breakker and Hayes took place at Stand & Deliver on April 1, where Hayes defeated Breakker to win the NXT Championship for the first time.
In wrestling[]
- Finishers
- Signature moves
- Fedora Frog Splash
- Dropkick
- Diving leg drop
- Springboard Clothesline
- Nicknames
- "The Thriller of New England"
- "King of Drop"
- "Killanova"
- "The A-Champion"
- Managers and valets
- Tag teams and stables
- Entrance music
Championships and accomplishments[]
- Beyond Wrestling
- Pride of New England Tournament for Tomorrow
- Chaotic Wrestling
- CW New England Championship (1 time)
- CW Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- CW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Twelfth Triple Crown Champion
- Liberty States Pro Wrestling
- Liberty States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Lucky Pro Wrestling
- LPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Elia Markopoulos
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 256 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2021
- PWI ranked him #13 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the 2023 PWI 500.
- PWI ranked him #48 in the 2024 PWI Top 500 Wrestlers
- Northeast Championship Wrestling
- NCW New England Championship (1 time)
- Northeast Wrestling
- NEW Live Championship (1 time)
