Ranking the top ten AEW and WWE performers 29 years old and younger
Carmelo Hayes
Age: 28
Cagematch Rating: 7.78
Career Accolades:
- WWE NXT Champion
- WWE NXT North American Champion 2x
- WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion
Carmelo Hayes should be the future of WWE. He stepped into the company in 2021 and has already established himself as someone that can carry every aspect of sports entertainment. Shawn Michaels trusted Hayes to be the guy to take the NXT Championship off Bron Breakker, effectively tagging him as the next big focal point for that brand. When he finally makes his way to the main roster, the same should happen there. Hayes already has the talent to stand face-to-face with performers like Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Drew McIntyre, and others.
As with many other talented performers on this list, the question isn’t whether Hayes has the talent, as he’s already shown that. The question is will the company give him the proverbial ball to see him run with it? Fans are loudly pushing for it and as Hayes makes clear every time he speaks, he is that guy.