Carmelo Hayes On Solo Sikoa: 'He Got Thrown To The Sharks And He's Swimming Great' - Exclusive

On Saturday afternoon, Carmelo Hayes dethroned Bron Breakker to become the new "WWE NXT" Champion at Stand & Deliver. But well before that, he had some battles for the "NXT" North American Championship with The Bloodline's appointed enforcer Solo Sikoa. After Sikoa managed to win the strap and took it to "WWE SmackDown" with him, he was forced to leave it behind and vacate the title. But even on opposite sides of the ring, don't think some semblance of respect didn't materialize between the two combatants. 

Speaking with Wrestling Inc. Senior Lead News Editor Miles Schneiderman during WrestleMania weekend, Hayes shared the love he has for how Solo has handled his transition to the main roster."Yeah, Solo's my boy, man. We had our moments, but I'm happy for that dude, because he got thrown to the sharks," Hayes explained. "He got thrown to the sharks and he's swimming great."

After being knocked by Cody Rhodes in the weeks before WrestleMania 39 as not being ready, Sikoa proved quite the contrary. As the main event neared its conclusion, Sikoa emerged from the crowd, delivering a Samoan Spike to "The American Nightmare," once again aiding Roman Reigns in retaining his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. However, his presence has been felt for several months, and not just through Bloodline assistance. Since debuting at last year's Clash At The Castle, Sikoa has only suffered one pinfall loss, which came at the hands of Rhodes on the final "WWE Raw" before WrestleMania.

Yet despite how ruthless and vital he's been for The Bloodline, Hayes hasn't forgotten about Sikoa one bit. He insists the two will cross paths somewhere down the line. "He's going to see me again though, he's got to remember that," he warned. "I got next now."