Carmelo Hayes on Becoming One of the Top Faces of NXT’s Rebranding to NXT 2.0

– During a recent edition of The Masked Man Show, WWE Superstar Carmelo Hayes discussed becoming one of the faces of the rebranded NXT when NXT made the switch to NXT 2.0. Below are some highlights (via WrestlingInc.com):

Carmelo Hayes on being one of the faces of NXT’s rebranding to NXT 2.0: “Shawn [Michaels] has told me straight up that he couldn’t have done it without Bron [Breakker], myself, and a couple of other guys. It was that black and gold stigma and then they switched everything around that’s when people were like, ‘Woah, this is gonna suck.'”

On wanting to test himself: “I was like, ‘I want to test myself against [NXT’s original journeymen talent],’ I want to work with the best. Period. I looked at the [top guys in NXT] and I said, ‘Why can’t I be them?'”

Hayes was recently drafted to the SmackDown roster during the 2024 WWE Draft.