Shawn Michaels reveals the mystery NXT Superstar who will be competing in the US Title Tournament on SmackDown 

The eight-man tournament to determine the #1 contender for Logan Paul‘s United States Championship began on the most recent edition of SmackDown.

While seven competitors are superstars from the Blue brand, the last spot was left for an NXT wrestler. After yet another successful PLE, Shawn Michaels revealed that Carmelo Hayes would be competing in the tournament.

The Hall of Famer made the announcement on WWE’s official X account. According to Michaels, Carmelo Hayes stood out the most from the talented NXT roster.

Evidently, the Heartbreak Kid has put a lot of faith in the former champion as the latter prepares for the biggest test of his career. As a result, the former champion will face Grayson Waller on this week’s episode of SmackDown.

Carmelo Hayes defeated Lexis King at the Deadline premium live event. Currently, the 29-year-old is in a storyline, focused on his friendship with Trick Williams.

Many fans have accused Hayes of betraying and attacking his former tag team partner a couple of months ago. In fact, Saturday night’s PLE ended with the former North American champion sneaking up on Trick Williams. 

Needless to say, Carmelo Hayes will focus on becoming the next breakout star on the main roster. Previously, he came up short in a valiant effort against Judgment Day’s Finn Balor, which served as his main roster debut. Despite that, Hayes managed to impress the WWE Universe with his in-ring skills and character work. 

Grayson Waller vows to redeem himself against Carmelo Hayes in the US Title Tournament

Grayson Waller has become increasingly popular on SmackDown over the past year. Since his debut on the main roster, the Aussie-born superstar has worked alongside some of the biggest names in WWE.

Recently, Waller was announced as a participant in the #1 contender US Championship tournament. Moreover, he is slated to square off against NXT superstar Carmelo Hayes.

After Shawn Michaels made the announcement, Grayson Waller responded with a one-word message on his X account. He also posted a photo of the pair facing off during their feud on the Gold brand. Clearly, the Arrogant Aussie is intent on getting revenge for his previous loss in the upcoming bout against Carmelo Hayes.

Redemption

-Grayson Waller (via X)

It will be interesting to see the former rivals square off in the tournament. Furthermore, fans can expect Waller’s tag team partner, Austin Theory, to interfere in the match.

In case you missed it:

• CM Punk reunites with former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions and calls them kids of himself and AJ Lee
• WATCH: SmackDown superstar mocks WWE HOF’er Shawn Michaels ahead of the former’s highly anticipated clash with an anonymous NXT Superstar this week

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