As WrestleMania 42 saw Sami Zayn defending the United States title against WrestleMania debutant Trick Williams, the story that led up to the match became controversial over the internet.
Three weeks before The Show of Shows, former United States Champion Carmelo Hayes lost the title to Sami Zayn in an instant shocker. Despite being a fighting champion who gave instant classics each week on SmackDown, fans wanted Hayes to walk into WrestleMania as the United States Champion. As they were heartbroken to see him lose, it seems that the same was the case for the former champion himself.
Carmelo Hayes Handled His US Title Loss Like a Pro
During his recent interview with Michael Fairman, Carmelo Hayes talked about his loss and stated how it sucked to not cross the finish line despite running the race ahead of everyone else. He further added that he is a professional athlete, and he needs to show up to work despite things not going his way.
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Melo said, “Listen, I’m a pro. 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.” He also stated how the title change needed to happen, and he was never selfish about having his moment and taking away someone else’s.
He further added, “I had a day or two where I was like, ‘What the hell?’ And then after that, I was like, ‘Back to work, man.’ Just a chip on my shoulder and watch what’s going to happen.” As Trick Williams defeated Zayn for the title at WrestleMania, Melo would love to go against the former US Champ and have a long standing rivalry against him on the Blue Brand.
Carmelo Hayes on Getting Mixed Reactions from the Crowd on Main Roster
Since his main roster debut, many have argued that Carmelo Hayes has been disconnected from the fans. During his recent interview, he talked about the disconnect he felt between himself and how audiences responded to him when he arrived on SmackDown.
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He stated, “I did feel at one point the fans weren’t sure how to feel about me. Like, it almost was like they wanted to cheer for me but I was kind of telling them not to. It’s a warm feeling, you don’t want to be in that position.”
Since his move to SmackDown in 2024, Hayes has been a phenomenal force in the Blue Brand and has been a tough and fighting United States Champion. It remains to be seen how his further career carves at SmackDown.
