Carmelo Hayes: Working With Cody Rhodes And Randy Orton Taught Me There Are So Many Levels To This

Carmelo Hayes reflects on adapting to the main roster of WWE.

Carmelo Hayes was a first-round draft pick for the WWE SmackDown roster in 2024. Since being drafted, Melo has worked with names such as Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Andrade, and more. Now, he’s reflecting on his experience on the main roster less than a year into his run.

While doing media in Berlin, Germany, ahead of WWE Bash in Berlin, Hayes told Denise Salcedo that working with veterans such as Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton has helped him realize that there are different levels to the game of pro wrestling.

“It’s definitely been a learning experience. I’ve been talking about the fact of making that transition, especially coming in as a first round draft pick, where all eyes are on you. You know what I mean? There’s really the most criticism I’ve ever faced in my whole career. But that’s OK, because at this time, that’s what you get when you get that first round draft pick label. If you want to be him, you open up yourself to that type of criticism. But really, it’s just of like that up in my game to that next level, because there’s so many guys up there. that I’ve got to work with Cody and Randy and things like that that have taught me that there are so many different levels to this game and there’s levels that I would have never knew if I wasn’t in the ring with those guys. So it’s been an amazing process and I’m just getting started really and I’m looking forward to see what’s next.”

Carmelo has spent most of his time on the main roster working opposite Andrade, a veteran in his own right.

Carmelo Hayes and Andrade are currently amid an impromptu best-of-five series, and the tiebreaker is slated to be held on the September 13 WWE SmackDown on USA. Learn more here.

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