While he’s currently having fun with success as United States Champion, Carmelo Hayes’ earlier time on WWE’s foremost roster wasn’t as fruitful. Still, he managed to search for the positives, and in doing so, learned a helpful skill from two of WWE’s top stars, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns.
“Biggest thing I noticed with Cody especially is just the reference to the fans,” Hayes told “No Holds Barred.” “I feel like that is something that in Roman too. They’re connected. It’s identical to they’re one. They’re ride or die, up and down.
“I’ll say that what has been good for me is that this yr and a half of attempting to determine, who I’m, what I’m, what my purpose is, form of took the fans on a ride with me where they felt like they’ve seen the journey,” he continued. “They’ve seen me fail. They’ve seen me must hop over a hurdle or start back at first, so it’s almost like they organically said, ‘Hey, you recognize what? We would like something for this guy. We would like to see this guy win. We would like to see this guy overcome.’ So I believe that was my connection that I ended up finding with the fans.”
Hayes, a former NXT Champion, received his official call as much as the foremost roster in April 2024 as a primary round pick within the WWE Draft. Within the months following, he notably feuded with Andrade through a better of seven match series that resulted in a no contest, with each of them losing to LA Knight in a triple threat US Title match at WWE Crown Jewel. In 2025, Hayes formed an alliance with WWE veteran The Miz, though that later dissolved and propelled Hayes into the highlight as a babyface singles star.
When you use any of the quotes in this text, please credit “No Holds Barred” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.