Carmelo Hayes has reflected on the mixed reaction he received from fans during his main roster debut, explaining why the crowd struggled to process him as a heel from the outset. Speaking with Michael Fairman, Hayes opened up about the disconnect he felt between his intended character and how audiences actually responded to him when he arrived on SmackDown.
“I did feel at one point the fans weren’t sure how to feel about me. Like it almost was like they wanted to cheer for me but I was kind of telling them not to. It’s a warm feeling, you don’t want to be in that position. So the fact that we allowed them to say, ‘It’s okay to like this guy,’ I think they were like, ‘Okay good because we like this guy, we don’t know why we were supposed to not like this guy. He hasn’t done anything for us to not like him,'” Hayes said.
He also offered his broader philosophy on what makes a truly effective heel, and explained why his situation did not meet that standard at the time.
“I think the best heels come from where you learn to love somebody and then they break your heart and then you learn, ‘Okay, nah I hate you.’ But I never did anything to them so they were just kind of didn’t really care one way or another. And then you’re going up against their favorite wrestlers and stuff. Why would they cheer you over them?” Hayes said.
Hayes was moved to SmackDown in the 2024 WWE Draft and immediately challenged Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship on the April 26, 2024, episode of the show. He briefly teamed with The Miz in 2025 before winning the United States Championship in December. He lost the title to Sami Zayn ahead of WrestleMania 42, with Zayn subsequently defending it against Trick Williams at the show. Williams captured the title in what became one of the more celebrated moments of the event.
Hayes missed WrestleMania 42 entirely despite the fan support he had built during his United States Championship run, and spoke honestly about the absence before the event, stating that success is not earned but given in WWE.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Michael Fairman with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
