Trick Williams versus Carmelo Hayes at Stand & Deliver will be a historic moment

NXT Stand & Deliver 2024 is shaping up to be a major showcase for WWE NXT. Not because of some massive title match, or the introduction of a hot, new signing. But because the main event will bring an end to this chapter of what has been this brand’s more important story to date. Trick Williams versus Carmelo Hayes is the type of angle that can carry a lot of WWE’s creative for both the immediate and long-term future. Plus, it is a moment of history for the promotion and the wrestling industry.

Let’s jump right into that history first. Trick Williams versus Carmelo Hayes is the first time two Black men will main event a WWE PLE since SummerSlam 2001 when The Rock and Booker T headlined the show. Nearly twenty-three years since that match and WWE hasn’t found two Black men deemed “worthy” to stand in the ring as the last match of the evening. That’s a telling fact for the company, and also Williams and Hayes as stars.

Hayes and Williams’s potential star power has been covered multiple times. Hayes burst on the scene, immediately catching the attention of wrestling fans online and watching the show each week. Williams took a little bit longer to get to a similar point, but the reactions to his time on screen, even on the main roster, show that he should have the attention of decision-makers behind the scenes.

WWE has always been about creating crossover stars beyond just professional wrestling. With Endeavor backing them, Hayes and Williams are two faces that many can see showing up in other areas. Appearances on The Breakfast Club or other outlets that target Black culture? They’d fit in perfectly. Movies? Much of their gimmick is carved right out of the Bad Boys movie franchise, so that could be a thing as well. There are so many places where they fit all because the authenticity they deliver in their characters each week. Neither of these seems too far from who they are in their real lives. Trick Williams versus Carmelo Hayes represents so much for people watching them each week and they deserve recognition for that.

Premium Level Events are meant to be seen as top-of-the-line showcases that push WWE talent to the forefront. Seeing Stand & Deliver headlined by two Black men in a non-title feud is a moment that deserves recognition. And it’s one that these two men will be able to recreate multiple times throughout their careers.