Carmelo Hayes reveals what he was told not to do by 58-year-old legend during his run in WWE
Carmelo Hayes has commented on what piece of advice he's received from WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels regarding his stature. He was a top star during his run in NXT, but his height has been subject to criticism.
Hayes was drafted to SmackDown two weeks ago during the 2024 WWE Draft, and he wrestled Cody Rhodes in the main event that night. He has also interacted with other big stars on WWE TV, including The Undertaker, John Cena, and The Heartbreak Kid himself.
During a recent appearance on The Ringer Wrestling Show, Carmelo Hayes stated that when he was in NXT, Shawn Michaels advised him to never take a day off and to work as hard as he could. He added that he believes that the bar is higher because of his stature.
"Yeah, he told me straight up, he said you can never take a day off. He said a lot of these guys, they can take the day off and they'll be, you know, except when you get out there you can never take the day off, you can never phone it in. It sucks in a way but at the same time, I'm open to the challenge because the bar for some reason is just raised so much higher because of my size," said Hayes.
He added:
"People are just expecting way more, I can't make mistakes. Not on top of just my size but just being perceived as somebody that's being pushed to the forefront. I feel a lot of criticism from a lot of people just off of everything that I do. I've had the microscope on me for a long time and I'm kind of used to it now. But at the same time, like I said, the bar is very high."
You can check out the clip below:
Carmelo Hayes made history during the WWE Draft
Two weeks ago on SmackDown, this year's WWE Draft took place, and history was made. First, Bianca Belair became the first black woman to be picked first in the draft. Carmelo Hayes was part of the first round as well, and he made history by being the first NXT Superstar to ever be a first-round pick in the draft.
After he was drafted, he confronted Cody Rhodes, which led to a match between them in the main event. Although Carmelo Hayes lost the bout, he got the rub by sharing the ring with the current Undisputed WWE Champion.
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If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Ringer Wrestling Show and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.