It seems like eons ago now, but the 2024 WWE Draft we witnessed Carmelo Hayes become the 1st draft pick to SmackDown. He made his official main roster debut shortly after the draft and immediately challenged the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes. Although his pursuit for his first main roster gold was unsuccessful, Hayes still felt like a star making the transition to Friday nights.
As 2025 is coming to a close, this year hasn't exactly been what many fans were anticipating for Hayes. His highlights this year (in the ring) have been winning the Andre The Giant Battle Royal back in April, returning to WWE NXT to help his former tag team partner Trick Williams for NXT Homecoming, and teaming up with The Miz. Looking ahead to 2026, Hayes must hold a title.
What Went Wrong With Booking Carmelo Hayes?
After debuting on SmackDown, Hayes felt like a top superstar who could go toe-to-toe with the best in WWE in the ring. A year ago, he was involved in a major storyline between him, Andrade, and LA Knight for the United States Championship. In fact, his seven-match series with Andrade was one of the most memorable feuds on the brand in 2024. Ultimately, Hayes came up short in his pursuit of his first main roster gold, but since then, WWE has transitioned its focus elsewhere.
With no disrespect to The Miz, but once WWE paired Hayes alongside him as a tag team, it was all downhill from there. Nobody took them seriously as a tag team because it was clear they wouldn't be a threat to the tag titles. Currently, they're in the betrayal phase, which can be moved on from soon.
The WWE Universe has been behind Hayes and had his hashtag "We Want Melo" trending on X back in July. Since joining the main roster last year, he has competed on three PLEs, which include the 2025 Royal Rumble. So really, he's only appeared on two. The positive news is, he's still over with the fans and hasn't lost too much of the aura he once had on WWE NXT. He has proven he can work with any other wrestler in the ring; he just needs more opportunities to present his talent like they did when he first debuted on Friday nights.
The bottom line is, Hayes has to hold some main roster gold in 2026. Whether that is on Raw or Smackdown, he needs to be a champion. Either they call Trick Williams up and officially reunite Trick-Melo Gang and win the WWE Tag Team Championships, or he wins a midcard title, he needs to win one next year. As a two-time NXT North American Champion and one-time NXT Champion, Hayes is more than capable of handling more responsibility on the main roster.