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Carmelo Hayes on Losing WWE US Title Ahead of WrestleMania 42: ‘It Sucked’
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Carmelo Hayes opens up about losing the WWE United States Championship just weeks ahead of WrestleMania 42 and ultimately not competing at the Las Vegas event. Hayes won the US Title from Ilja Dragunov last December.
He went on to defend the championship several times on Friday nights via open challenges. However, Sami Zayn abruptly ended his reign on the March 27 episode of SmackDown. The Canadian retained the gold in a rematch a week later. Zayn ultimately lost the title to Trick Williams at WrestleMania 42.
Speaking on the Michael Fairman Channel ahead of ‘Mania 42, Hayes admitted that losing the US Title just weeks before The Showcase of the Immortals “sucked.” Melo admitted he felt being “sidestepped a little.” However, Hayes added that he took it in his stride like the pro that he is. The former NXT Champion said that he now has a chip on his shoulder. Here’s what Carmelo Hayes said:
“It sucked! It definitely sucked, and it was heartbreaking. It felt like I ran the race. I was so close to just throwing my arms up and crossing the finish line, and then I got kind of sidestepped a little bit. It sucks! At the end of the day, I’m a pro. I show up to work, what they need from me, I do it and I go above and beyond no matter what every time. It’s one of those things; you got to charge it to the game. It wasn’t a personal thing. It wasn’t a me thing… It’s not something that I’m gonna sit here and go, ‘Oh, woe is me.’ I don’t move like that. I had a day or two where I was like, ‘What the hell?’ Then after that, I was like, ‘You know what? Back to work, man!’ There’s just a chip on my shoulder, and watch what’s going to happen now.”
In a separate interview, Melo sent a message to his fans who were left disappointed with him getting snubbed out of the US Title match at WrestleMania 42. You can check out his comments HERE.
Please credit Michael Fairman’s YouTube and give an H/T to 411Mania for the transcription if you take quotes from this article.
