WWE sends warning to Carmelo Hayes ahead of major SmackDown match
WWE sent a warning to Carmelo Hayes ahead of tonight's edition of SmackDown. Tonight's episode of the blue brand will be the final show before Saturday Night's Main Event tomorrow.
The former NXT Champion confronted World Heavyweight Champion Gunther last week, before having a conversation with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis. Melo said that Aldis needed to figure out where he fits on SmackDown, or he might decide to use the transfer window to go to RAW.
Adlis said that he had someone very special in mind for Hayes to face tonight on SmackDown. Ahead of tonight's SmackDown, the company sent a warning to Hayes before his match against a mystery opponent:
"Be careful what you wish for, @carmelo_wwe… 👀," he wrote.
Carmelo Hayes was selected by SmackDown in the first round of the WWE Draft earlier this year. There have been reports that a former champion will be returning from his hiatus to face Hayes later tonight on SmackDown.
Teddy Long shares that Carmelo Hayes thanked a WWE legend for helping him
WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long recently disclosed that Carmelo Hayes thanked Ron Simmons for helping him early in his career.
Speaking on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine podcast, Long shared that he attended the September 13, 2024, episode of SmackDown alongside Simmons earlier this year. Long noted that Hayes approached Simmons and thanked him for giving him advice back in the day:
"He was already talking to Ron and I came up and spoke to Carmelo and Ron, and I remember him standing there and he was telling Ron, he said, 'Ron, you remember you gave me some advice back, blah, blah, blah, back when,' or something. He was thanking him for it. Carmelo Hayes was one of those guys." [8:03 – 8:18]
You can check out Long's comments in the video below:
Carmelo Hayes is a former NXT Champion but has never won a title on the main roster. The 30-year-old has not competed in a televised match since his loss to Cody Rhodes on the November 22 episode of SmackDown. Only time will tell who Hayes' mystery opponent will be later tonight on the blue brand.