After backstage fight, ex-WWE champion claims Cody Rhodes needs to reevaluate his friendships
Cody Rhodes got into a major backstage fight with a former WWE champion on this week's SmackDown. In a post-show segment, Carmelo Hayes delivered a massive shot at The American Nightmare.
During the November 22, 2024, episode of the blue brand, Rhodes and Kevin Owens cut a heated promo on each other. The Prizefighter declared his hatred for the Undisputed WWE Champion, while the latter asserted that KO's self-loathing stems from his failure to reach the pinnacle of the wrestling world in recent years.
Following the segment, when The American Nightmare walked backstage, the former NXT Champion taunted him. Melo and Cody Rhodes engaged in a physical altercation before SmackDown GM Nick Aldis had to separate them.
During a SmackDown LowDown interview with Byron Saxton, Melo criticized Cody Rhodes for his unfair reaction to Kevin Owens' comments. Carmelo Hayes suggested that The American Nightmare should focus on reevaluating his friendships rather than blaming others for his problems.
"What do you expect when you get a guy like, Cody, who gets a truth told about him? Kevin Owens puts him on blast in front of everybody and he can't handle it. And the first thing he does is he comes back and he takes it out on me, talking about [how] I need to reevaluate the first-round draft pick. The only thing that needs reevaluation is his friendships. Who needs enemies when you got a friend like Cody Rhodes?" he said. [From 01:58 to 02:16]
Check out the full interview below:
Cody Rhodes and Carmelo Hayes will face each other on next week's WWE SmackDown
When Melo was drafted to the SmackDown brand in April 2024, he faced The American Nightmare on his first night. Despite an impressive performance from the former NXT Champion, he ultimately fell short against Cody Rhodes.
Following their physical altercation last night, WWE announced that Carmelo Hayes and Cody Rhodes will go one-on-one on the November 29 edition of the blue brand.
It remains to be seen if the 39-year-old world champion will secure a big win over Melo on SmackDown next week before heading into the Survivor Series: WarGames Premium Live Event.
Please credit WWE SmackDown LowDown and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.