Carmelo Hayes: Now That I’m On WWE SmackDown, I’m Everybody’s Dream Match

Carmelo Hayes says he is past dream matches.

Carmelo Hayes says he is past dream matches.

In the 2024 WWE Draft, SmackDown selected former NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes. He immediately challenged Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to a match. Rhode scored the win, but Hayes made a statement with his performance.

Speaking on WWE’s The Bump, Carmelo Hayes was asked to name some competitors that he wants to face on SmackDown.

“I’m so far past dream matches and fantasy matches. I think now that I’m on SmackDown, I’m everybody’s fantasy match, and I’m everybody’s dream match. They should be wanting to get into the ring with me. I just wrestled Cody Rhodes, the WWE Champion. If that doesn’t put me at the top of the pecking order, I don’t know what does,” Hayes said.

Hayes was also asked to discuss where his confidence come from. He highlighted how it comes from delivering, as he has delivered in high-pressure situations when he has been put into them. Hayes brought up his match against Rhodes and noted that he held his own,

“It’s from delivering. All the times that I’ve delivered, all the times that I’ve been put in a high-pressure situation and I’ve delivered, things like that. I know that going against Cody Rhodes was shooting from the logo, but I had no doubt in my mind that, match my skills up against his skills, I might not be WWE Champion, but I believe him and I skill-wise are similar. I do have a lot more I need to learn, but hey, I can get in the ring with Cody Rhodes, and I can get down to the wire. He just barely beat me. He didn’t beat me by a landslide. I hung until the final rounds, the championship rounds with Cody Rhodes. I think that says more about me than people expect,” Hayes said.

During the interview, Carmelo Hayes discussed joining WWE SmackDown. Check out his comments here.

Carmelo Hayes has declared for the King of the Ring tournament. More information is available here.

Click here to catch up on our coverage of the May 3 episode of WWE SmackDown. For a full review, check out the post-show podcast on our YouTube channel.

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