Carmelo Hayes seemingly accuses WWE of burying him; offers hope to frustrated fan
Carmelo Hayes has been a rising superstar of the WWE SmackDown brand since his call-up from NXT in the 2024 Draft. The near-11-year industry veteran has built a loyal fanbase over the years, and they have joined him in reacting to recent happenings with frustration. Despite an apparent accusation aimed at WWE, Hayes remains in good spirits and has offered hope to one fan.
Carmelo Hayes is having a rough streak on the WWE SmackDown brand. The former NXT Champion failed to dethrone LA Knight of the United States Championship, then suffered a non-title loss to Cody Rhodes. After Hayes recently threatened to go to RAW for the Netflix launch unless Nick Aldis coveted him, the SmackDown General Manager promised to book Hayes in a match on this week's Saturday Night's Main Event go-home episode. His opponent was Braun Strowman, who was making his televised in-ring return after suffering a groin tear in October.
The Monster of All Monsters squashed The Thriller from New England in less than two minutes. In a shock to the WWE Universe, Braun dominated Carmelo, then intercepted him in mid-air for a running powerslam to secure the pin.
Fans and analysts were somewhat shocked at Hayes' squash loss to Strowman. The 30-year-old multi-time champion took to X today to jokingly let fans know he's still alive while seemingly accusing officials of burying him on SmackDown. Hayes included a GIF of The Undertaker under the dirt after being buried alive following his 1996 win over Mankind at In Your House 11 in the Buried Alive match, with no caption.
A fan responded that they were fed up that WWE had not yet given Hayes a main roster championship. Carmelo responded with some hope for the future.
"lol it's aight. Timing is everything [bullseye emoji]," Hayes wrote.
Hayes' loss to Strowman was Braun's way onto the SmackDown roster. He was the first Superstar to switch brands in the Transfer Window, which opened in the lead-up to the RAW's Netflix premiere. Aldis negotiated to get Strowman on the blue brand roster, and the next transfer is expected for Monday's RAW. Strowman was touted on commentary as a great get for SmackDown.
Carmelo Hayes set for WWE SmackDown rematch
Friday's WWE SmackDown, the last stop before SNME, featured several big moments, including Braun Strowman's surprise TV return from injury hiatus. Due to the transfer window, he is now on SmackDown from RAW.
Strowman shocked fans by defeating Carmelo Hayes in a quick squash match. Hayes will get a chance to win the rematch on next Friday's episode, which was taped this past Friday in Hartford, CT. Full spoilers are available on SK Wrestling, and below is the non-spoiler lineup:
- SNME fallout
- The New Bloodline cuts in-ring promo and wrestles a six-man match
- Braun Strowman appears on The Grayson Waller Effect and wrestles a rematch with Carmelo Hayes
- Johnny Gargano vs. Alex Shelley
- Women's Tag Team Championship Match: Naomi [replacing Jade Cargill] and Bianca Belair (c) vs. Nia Jax and Candice LeRae
WWE is also advertising appearances by Kevin Owens, Drew McIntyre, and Tiffany Stratton, among others, for next Friday. The final SmackDown of 2024 will then take place on December 27 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL.