The identity of the masked man who aided Carmelo Hayes on the March 19, episode of WWE NXT isn’t a secret anymore.
During the show, Trick Williams was ready to fight Hayes but was confronted by Melo’s henchman. A figure then appeared on stage, pretending to be Hayes, which allowed the former NXT Champion the distraction to jump his former ally.
Masked Man Revealed
The figure who appeared on the stage was none other than head WWE NXT referee Darryl Sharma, aka Adrian Butler, Fightful Select reports. Sharma and the masked man could be seen wearing identical shoes during the show.
Failure to protect yourself from repeated blows to the head will result in referee stoppage, and a loss via TKO. #WWENXT #wwe #UFC pic.twitter.com/T72oYDcvth
— Darryl Sharma (@AdrianButlerWWE) March 20, 2024
Carmelo Hayes se estaba haciendo pasar por uno de seguridad para engañar a Trick Williams. Genio. #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/Nnydxgu30H
— LuigiWrestling (@LuigiWrestling) March 20, 2024
Sources within WWE NXT also confirmed to Fightful that Sharma was the man in question.
Who is Darryl Sharma?
Before donning the stripes as a WWE NXT official, Sharma wrestled under the name ‘Hornet’ around the world. He is a student of the Battle Arts Academy, owned by WWE alum and current TNA name Santino Marella. At the academy, he trained in both wrestling and MMA. He ranked #437 in the PWI 500 ranking in 2016 but joined WWE in November that same year to be a referee.
Sneak Attacks
Carmelo Hayes is hardly the first Superstar to use subterfuge to get the upper hand. As seen in the video below, several wrestlers have used disguises and other tactics to take out their opponents.
What’s Next?
Melo and Trick will face off at NXT Stand & Deliver on April 6, mere hours before WWE WrestleMania 40. The show will take place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA, less than a mile away from the Lincoln Financial Field that’ll host WrestleMania.