Carmelo Hayes Reflects On WWE Royal Rumble Appearance

In a matter of days, 30 men and 30 women will step into the WWE Royal Rumble matches with the aim of securing themselves a title shot of their choosing at WrestleMania 42. For the past two years, Carmelo Hayes has been amongst the men receiving such an opportunity, with his 2024 Royal Rumble appearance spanning a respectable 17 minutes. During an interview with "No Holds Barred," he reflected on his previous experience in the over-the-top-rope spectacle, while also looking ahead to the upcoming one.

"The opportunity to be in the Rumble is same as every year," he said. "It's a huge opportunity. I mean, you can make yourself a star. You don't even got to win the Rumble half the time. You can make yourself a star in however long you get that opportunity to be in there. Mix it up with different guys. I think it's a cool opportunity to see guys mixing up with guys that you've never seen before. There's a lot of Raw guys that I've never got to really interact with. Also on top of that, all the surprises that they have, new guys coming in or old guys coming back, whatever it may be. I'm excited for the Royal Rumble."

In the 2025 iteration, Hayes emerged as the first elimination from the Men's Royal Rumble match, courtesy of then-Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker. On his way to the back, however, Hayes left a lasting impression on the audience by attacking Akira Tozawa, which allowed popular streamer IShowSpeed to fill in as a surprise replacement.

The 2026 premium live event and its corresponding matches will emanate from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 31.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "No Holds Barred" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.