Carmelo Hayes Says It Took Patience To Find Success In WWE

Although he is the current WWE United States Champion, it took Carmelo Hayes several years of grinding in NXT before getting called up to the main roster. He didn't find immediate success after his call-up, and sitting down for an interview with the Toronto Sun, Hayes said he sometimes struggles with having to wait for his time.

"I had talked to Shawn Michaels and he ... was like, 'Hey, man, it might take you five years. Look at the roster right now,'" Hayes relayed. "Paul Heyman had told me, he's like, 'You're batting 1000. You're just batting eighth.' ... That made me go, 'Yeah, you know what? Alright.'"

Conversations like that taught Hayes to be more patient, and he now simply tries to do his best with the role that WWE has for him. Michaels, as the figure in charge of NXT, played an especially important role in Hayes' development, and the US Champion has no problem acknowledging it. Thanks to help from sources like Michaels, Hayes feels he's made a smooth transition to the main roster.

"NXT was a lot [of], 'Go, go, go,'" Hayes stated. "I remember Shawn had told me early on – he's like, 'Hey, if you can do this, you can go up there and you can do that easy.' ... Once you got this down, the main roster is ... not a slower pace, it depends on who you're in the ring with. I've always worked guys that are bigger than me ... so I'm used to that sort of style and that sort of story."

Hayes won the United States Championship in the waning days of 2025. He's since defended the title on various episodes of "WWE SmackDown," with some help from The Miz, against opponents like Ilja Dragunov and Shinsuke Nakamura.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the Toronto Sun and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.