WATCH: NXT Champion Makes Surprise In-Ring Debut On Monday Night Raw

You have to start somewhere. NXT is a very unique wrestling show, as not only is it its own thing, but also the official WWE developmental system. WWE is pretty much the only promotion with such a resource and there has been a move lately to bring NXT up towards the same level as Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. This week, an NXT star got quite the opportunity.

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This week on Monday Night Raw, NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes appeared in the crowd and helped Seth Rollins against an attacking Finn Balor. As a result, Hayes vs. Balor was set for later in the night, with Balor winning via the Coup de Grace. This was Hayes’ first match on either main roster show, though he did make an appearance on last week’s Monday Night Raw. There is nothing to suggest that this is anything more than a one off match.

Hayes was on his game this week. Check out the match, plus some of his time in NXT:

Opinion: As little sense as having Hayes lose the night before a major title defense might have made, it was nice to see Hayes getting the chance to shine on a bigger stage. NXT and the main roster shows have been coming together a bit more in recent months and that could open up a lot of doors. Hopefully NXT gets to do a bit better in the future, but this is better than nothing.