Carmelo Hayes on which WWE Hall of Famers have helped him in NXT
NXT Superstar Carmelo Hayes recently opened up about the help he's received from WWE Hall of Famers Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
Hayes burst onto the scene at the tail end of NXT's fabled black and gold era after entering the Breakout Tournament. He defeated Odyssey Jones in the final of the tournament and went on an impressive run as part of the revamped NXT 2.0.
He captured the NXT North American Championship by defeating Isiah 'Swerve' Scott (Swerve Strickland) to start a championship reign that lasted 172 days. He eventually lost to Cameron Grimes in a multi-man ladder match at NXT: Stand & Deliver back in April this year.
During a recent interview with The Black Announce Table, Carmelo spoke about the influence that Triple H and Shawn Michaels have had on his WWE career so far.
When asked who had been the most helpful to him backstage, Hayes mentioned that The Game has been high on him and gave him his first shot.
"Triple H was really high on me, he's the one that gave me that first shot. Like to go up against Kushida and Adam Cole," Hayes said. [11:05 - 11:13]
Hayes then went on to talk about the knowledge held by Shawn Michaels and how valuable it is to him.
"Shawn [Michaels], obviously, still to this day, y'know, he's always in my ear. Which y'know, he's always giving me gems. The way he thinks is just different." [11:14 - 11:26]
What has Carmelo Hayes been up to on NXT 2.0?
Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams have recently been involved in a rivalry with North American Champion Cameron Grimes.
Hayes is set to take on Grimes for the title at the upcoming NXT: In Your House event on Saturday, June 4th. This marks the first opportunity that Hayes has had at the title since losing it at Stand & Deliver.
Solo Sikoa has also had a considerable presence in the North American Championship scene and will no doubt be eager to get a piece of the winner.
It will be interesting to see if Carmelo Hayes can regain the North American Title from Cameron Grimes at In Your House. It also remains to be seen whether Solo Sikoa will play a part in the bout.
You can read more about Carmelo Hayes by clicking here.
Please give a H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription and credit The Black Announce Table for any quotes used.