Carmelo Hayes concluded his NXT run with a loss to Trick Williams and quickly made a strong impression on SmackDown during the opening night of the 2024 WWE Draft. Despite his success, some critics have labeled him and other new main roster talent as “jobbers,” a term used disparagingly in the wrestling world.
In a conversation with Denise Salcedo, Hayes addressed the social media criticism he faces as a newcomer on the main roster. He emphasized the importance of staying grounded and recognizing the hard work required to reach his level.
“Yeah, I mean, sometimes it’s hard not to see it. We all have a stat where we all kind of, you know, especially when you open the app and the first thing you see is criticism, which is okay. You know what I mean? Like, the fans are allowed to have their criticism and things like that, especially in sports and entertainment. You open yourself up to that, and it’s okay. But at the end of the day, you have to know who you are, what you stand for, and what it took to get to this level.”
Hayes also criticized the tendency of armchair critics to judge wrestlers too quickly, especially those who don’t immediately rise to championship status.
“There are so many things people would never understand that happen behind the scenes and the hard work we put in to get to this level. Also, you know how difficult it is to do what we do.
I think it’s easy to sit and armchair quarterback—we all do it with every sport or TV show—we say, ‘I would have done this differently,’ or ‘It should have been this or that.’ But until you’re in that person’s shoes, you’ll never truly understand.”
Despite the noise, Hayes remains focused on his journey and personal growth, understanding that success in wrestling is a marathon, not a sprint.
“But I’m open to all the criticism and the critique. I don’t really hear it because I force myself to get better anyway, and these are all things that people say that I’ve already told myself. You think I haven’t struggled with doubt on my own? But I just continue to be ‘Him’, continue to progress, and keep learning.
I’m still so new to this main roster thing. You know what I mean? People think if you’re not Champion or you’re not beating everybody in the first two months, you’re a failure, you’re buried, or you’re a jobber. That’s the new thing, right? Everybody’s a jobber, everybody’s buried. So, we’re on a journey, y’all. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Currently, Hayes is gaining momentum in his feud with Andrade on Friday Night SmackDown, proving that he is focused on his career rather than what his critics have to say.
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