Former NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes is now a part of the SmackDown brand after the 2024 Draft.
He’s in the King of the Ring tournament and will face Randy Orton on next week’s SmackDown.
During an interview on The Ringer Wrestling Show, Carmelo revealed the advice he received from 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels before he moved to the main roster:
“He told me, straight up, ‘You can never take a day off. A lot of these guys can take a day off and they’ll be accepted, but you can never take a day off or phone it in’.
It sucks in a way, but at the same time, I’m open to the challenge because the bar, for some reason, is raised higher because of my size. People are expecting way more.
I can’t make mistakes. Not on top of my size, but being perceived as someone who is being pushed to the forefront. I feel a lot of criticism from people off everything I do.
I’ve had the microscope on me for a long time. I’m kind of used to it now, but the bar is very high.
One, when you’re a Shawn Michaels guy. Two, when you’re a first round draft pick. Three, being undersized. Four, being of color. There are a lot of things that come into play with that pressure.
I’m open to that challenge and looking to prove people wrong.
As far as Shawn Michaels goes, he gives me that advice all the time: ‘You have to be better than the rest at everything. You can’t lack. What you lack in size, you have to make up for in every other category’.”
