Oro Mensah Vs. Carmelo Hayes: WWE NXT, Oct. 4, 2022
The NXT Heist: A Critical Examination of Mensah vs.
Hayes (October 4th, 2022) Background: The October 4th, 2022 NXT episode featured a highly anticipated showdown between Oro Mensah and Carmelo Hayes for the NXT North American Championship.
Hayes, the reigning champion, was portrayed as a charismatic heel, while Mensah, a rising star, was positioned as the underdog with significant fan support.
The match itself was a technical masterpiece, showcasing both wrestlers' skills.
However, the narrative surrounding the outcome, and the subsequent booking decisions, warrant a closer investigative look.
Thesis Statement: The controversial ending to the Oro Mensah vs.
Carmelo Hayes NXT North American Championship match on October 4th, 2022, reveals a deeper systemic issue within WWE NXT's booking strategy: a prioritization of established stars over potentially impactful long-term narratives, hindering the organic development of rising talents and potentially alienating a loyal fanbase.
Evidence & Analysis: The match itself was critically acclaimed, showcasing a blend of high-flying maneuvers and grounded grappling.
Mensah, despite his relative inexperience compared to Hayes, held his own, proving his potential to be a top contender.
Yet, the victory was ultimately delivered to Hayes via a somewhat controversial roll-up pin following a distraction from Trick Williams, Hayes’ associate.
This seemingly small detail throws the entire match into a different light.
While roll-up pins are a standard wrestling maneuver, their use here felt manipulative.
It robbed Mensah of a clean victory, a moment that could have propelled him into the main event scene.
Instead, the win preserved Hayes’ reign, seemingly prioritizing short-term storyline maintenance over long-term character development.
This decision can be analyzed through the lens of developmental wrestling, a system wherein younger talent is nurtured and honed before reaching the main roster.
However, the October 4th match suggests a possible deviation from this ideal.
Mensah's potential was showcased, only to be seemingly squandered for the sake of upholding Hayes' established character arc.
This raises concerns about the effectiveness of NXT's purported developmental role.
Is it truly a training ground, or a place to strategically position pre-selected stars? One could argue that preserving Hayes’ championship reign was necessary to build his character and generate further storylines.
This perspective is supported by the common wrestling trope of “long reigns” enhancing a champion's prestige.
(See: Wrestling Observer Newsletter archives on champion reign lengths and their impact on fan engagement).
However, this strategy often comes at the expense of other wrestlers, potentially hindering their growth and suppressing their popularity.
Mensah's loss, while strategically useful for Hayes, arguably undermined Mensah's momentum and narrative potential.
Different Perspectives: The WWE's perspective, likely, prioritizes established stars like Hayes, who possess a pre-existing fanbase and merchandising potential.
This is a financially driven approach, placing profit margins above organic story progression.
Conversely, fans and wrestling analysts might argue that prioritizing emerging talent like Mensah builds long-term viewership by fostering a sense of investment and anticipation in the audience.
This resonates with scholarly work on the psychology of fan engagement, suggesting that audiences connect more strongly with narratives that feel authentic and emotionally resonant (see: research on parasocial relationships and sports fandom).
The perceived rigging of the Mensah-Hayes match could alienate this key demographic.
Broader Implications: The outcome of the Mensah-Hayes match highlights a larger narrative within WWE’s booking structure.
The question remains: is NXT truly a developmental territory or a carefully orchestrated system designed to control and manage the rise of wrestlers, prioritizing certain narratives above others? The lack of a clean victory for Mensah, despite his strong performance, points to a potential disconnect between the developmental goals of NXT and its actual execution.
This could have long-term effects on NXT's credibility as a platform for genuine talent discovery and development.
Conclusion: The Mensah vs.
Hayes match serves as a case study for a critical examination of WWE NXT's booking strategies.
While the match itself was a technical triumph, the controversial finish points to a deeper problem: a seeming overreliance on pre-determined outcomes, often favoring established names over potentially impactful long-term narratives.
This strategy, while potentially beneficial in the short term, risks alienating fans and undermining the very purpose of NXT as a developmental territory.
Future booking decisions should prioritize organic storytelling, allowing for the natural progression of rising talents, which ultimately strengthens the product and fosters a more engaged fanbase.
Otherwise, NXT risks becoming a platform for pre-selected winners, rather than a crucible for shaping future wrestling stars.