Highly-rated WWE star Carmelo Hayes knows all about making history and is extremely keen to keep on doing it.
The 30-year-old is currently enjoying a first full 12 months on the ‘main roster’ of WWE as he settles into life on SmackDown, aired outside of the US – including the UK – on Netflix.
A charismatic and agile wrestling star, he’s undoubtedly a name to watch out for in the future – but is far from just starting out.
With a decade of experience under his belt, and having been under the WWE umbrella since 2021, he’s already slotting in very comfortably on the blue brand show having already made a name for himself in NXT.
While there, he reigned as Cruiserweight, North American and NXT Champion as part of a steady climb through the ranks.
He clinched a piece of wrestling history, too, in April 2024. He lost his NXT title at Stand and Deliver to Trick Williams in a landmark bout – the first WWE pay-per-view to be headlined by two black men in the better part of 25 years.
“That was cool, man,” Hayes told talkSPORT’s Jon Jackson in an exclusive interview, having smashed a record held by wrestling royalty Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Booker T when they headlined SummerSlam in 2001.
He added: “We both kinda understood the assignment, it was like ‘Woah, this is big.’
“The lead up to it, and the built to it, I was very proud of all of that. It was fun.”
As with every wrestling star on the planet, Hayes is far from prepared to let that iconic moment sit alone as the historic moment of his career. So, what next?
WWE is littered with stars that would complement his style, from new man Raw man Penta, whom Hayes says he knows well, to SmackDown villain Logan Paul, who is currently preparing for his next feud going into WrestleMania.
Hayes made clear he has his sights set on the US title held by Paul up until last summer, so might the two battle it out? The Massachusetts grappler indirectly caused Paul’s pal ISHOWSPEED to take a beating at Royal Rumble last month, so a little dose of payback would make sense.
Nevertheless, it’s being on the Mania card itself Hayes is after, saying his aim was: “I[To be] involved, period, at that point.
“There are so heavy hitters and there’s a lot of great stories that we’re telling right now, and if there’s somewhere I fit in, that United States Championship has been kinda lingering in front of my face for a couple of months.
“It feels like that would be something that’s on the table, but I don’t know what that whole thing looks like, but you can’t mention that championship at this point without mentioning my name.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how that plays out.”
Hayes will join his fellow WWE stars on their next UK tour next month, having enjoyed his time on this side of the pond late last year, despite unsuccessful challenges for that illusive US title.
He went on to say: “I worked in the O2 Arena a couple of months ago, me and Andrade had a match and were on tour out there.
“We did the O2, Nottingham, Ireland – we did a big loop, and we’re excited to go back. I loved it, I had a great time.”
Carmelo Hayes returns to the U.K. this March with WWE for live episodes of SmackDown & Raw at London’s O2 Arena on Friday March 28 and Monday March 31. Tickets available now at ticketmaster.co.uk.