Carmelo Hayes And Wes Lee Make History At NXT Heatwave 2023, Hayes Retains NXT Title

Carmelo Hayes and Wes Lee had a special match at NXT Heatwave.

Carmelo Hayes and Wes Lee had a historic match at NXT Heatwave.

The August 22 episode of WWE NXT was the “NXT Heatwave” special episode, and it was headlined by an NXT Championship match, where Carmelo Hayes defended the title against Wes Lee. Lee earned a title shot by defeating Dijak on the August 15 episode.

Before the bell rang at NXT Heatwave, the title match already made history, as it marked the first time two Black men competed in the main event for the NXT Championship. It’s also important to note that the match had a Black ring announcer, referee, and commentator.

Hayes and Lee  threw everything they had at each other in a thrilling match. Lee nearly scored the win at one point, as he hit the Cardiac Kick, but Hayes rolled out of the ring. In the end, the challenger went for a home run and came up empty when he dove to the outside and crashed into the barricade. He barely made it back into the ring, where Hayes pinned him with the Nothing but Net.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME, @Carmelo_WWE?!?!#NXTHeatwave pic.twitter.com/n0gRlBC0Oh

— WWE (@WWE) August 23, 2023

Hayes subsequently commented on the news. In an NXT Digital Exclusive, Hayes praised Lee and made it clear that he was proud to make history. Hayes then took to social media to state that it was an honor to make history with one of the best in the world.

Was an honor to make history with one of the best in the world @WesLee_WWE —- https://t.co/lH0YesvAZO

— Carmelo Hayes (@Carmelo_WWE) August 23, 2023

Hayes won the NXT Championship by defeating Bron Breakker at NXT Stand & Deliver 2023.

Click here to catch up on our coverage of NXT Heatwave. For a full review, check out the post-show podcast on our YouTube channel.