Carmelo Hayes Wants To Prove Triple H And Shawn Michaels Were Right To Believe In Him

In his pursuit of convincing the WWE Universe that he is "Him," Carmelo Hayes is equally determined to repay the faith that his bosses have shown in him. Since bursting onto the scene in 2021, the reigning "WWE NXT" Champion has been positioned as a flat-out winner, a clear sign of "NXT" boss Shawn Michaels and WWE CCO Triple H's utmost faith in his abilities. 

"I've been so fortunate to have a relationship with those guys," Hayes told "After the Bell." "I know Shawn was the one pulling for me from early on. He just wanted to get me in front of Triple H, and Triple H kinda gave him the seal of approval on me. When I worked with Kushida and Adam Cole, they gave me the trust. The whole stuff with the Breakout Tournament — I think they saw like, 'We have something here.'" Hayes then touched upon the importance of believing in himself, which, in turn, got Michaels and Triple H to pull the trigger on his push.

"It's my goal to make sure I prove [to] them that they were not wrong about running with me," Hayes added. "With Shawn and I, it's [a] day-to-day [relationship]. He's always checking on me, telling me what to do and not to do. Sometimes, I get ahead of myself ... the fact is I don't know anything. I've never done WrestleMania. But Shawn's like, 'I may not be the Sexy Boy anymore but I'm still that guy. You gotta trust in me.'" Unlike his day-to-day relationship with Michaels, Hayes hasn't had the opportunity to pick Triple H's brain since "The Game" took over creative operations on WWE's main roster. "I'm looking forward to making it up there and having a conversation with him," Hayes concluded.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "After the Bell" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.