Carmelo Hayes talks working with Seth Rollins and Finn Balor.
NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes made the save when Finn Balor attacked WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins on the June 20 episode of WWE NXT. Hayes was in the crowd on the June 26 episode of WWE Raw, and Rollins thanked him. Hayes helped out when Balor blindsided Rollins, and he later lost to the Judgment Day member in a singles match on the show.
Speaking on WWE's The Bump, Hayes reflected on his recent interactions with Rollins and noted that he thought they would happen down the road. He stated that working with him has been an honor and a privilege.
“It just feels like something that came out of nowhere. I expected to definitely Seth down the road. But because it’s happening now with me in NXT, I definitely expected, down the road, I was gonna see him at some point, work my way up the ranks. But to be able to associate myself with the World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins so soon has been an honor and a privilege. It’s been an honor more than anything to be able to work with Seth," Hayes said.
When asked about Rollins praising him during their on-screen interactions, Hayes described how he has looked up to Rollins, and he wants to be a performer and a champion like him. He stated that being in the same conversation as Rollins has a lot of upside, and he appreciates everything Seth has done for him.
“It was a cool co-sign, man. I’ve said in so many interviews how much I look up to a guy like Seth, and how I aspire to be a champion like Seth and to be a performer like Seth. He’s the workhorse of today’s generation, and to be in the same conversation as him, my name in the same conversation, it’s a huge upside for me and for my career. I appreciate Seth so much and everything that he’s done for us," he said.
Hayes also discussed his match against Balor on WWE Raw and noted that he might be one of the best NXT Champions of all time. He emphasized that he assumed he would mix it up with someone like Balor down the road. Hayes stated tht he might have lost, but Balor is a world title contender, and he gave it his best effort.
“He might be one of the greatest NXT Champions of all time, and then Seth being the very first, so just the fact that I got to get in the ring, again, it’s wild because I assumed it was gonna be a lot further down the road that I was gonna be able to mix it up with these guys. So it really was, like you said earlier about getting thrown in the deep end, and to be in there with Finn Balor, incredible performer with so many accolades. People are talking about the loss and this and that, but at the end of the day, it’s Finn Balor. He’s got a World Heavyweight Championship shot in less than a week. I gave my best efforts, and give me a couple more years, give me a couple more months, and let’s crack at it again and we’ll see, maybe the outcome will be different. But as of right now, it was Finn Balor‘s night. It wasn’t my night, but I picked up the win last night, and everything is even," Hayes said.
WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley confronted Hayes on the June 27 episode of WWE NXT and warned him not to mess with The Judgment Day. Later in the show, Hayes retained his title against Baron Corbin on the June 27 episode of WWE NXT. More information is available here.
Catch up on our coverage of the June 27 episode of WWE NXT here.
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