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Carmelo Hayes Credits Top WWE Star For Helping Him

carmelo hayes wwe nxt champion talk

Every pro wrestler is constantly learning more about the business they are in and Carmelo Hayes recently spoke about a big name in WWE that helped him a lot.

As the current NXT Champion that is going into a huge title defense this Sunday at Battleground, Carmelo Hayes is known for his confidence. After spending nearly two years as a cocky heel, the NXT fans have embraced him as the top babyface on the brand that has to deal with an angry former champion, Bron Breakker.

Behind the scenes, Carmelo Hayes is a guy that takes his craft as a pro wrestler seriously and has spoken often about learning a lot under NXT’s boss Shawn Michaels. Add in the great coaching that exists at the WWE Performance Center and it’s important for any superstar to listen to the guidance of others.

After he tore his pectoral muscle in June 2022, Cody Rhodes had a long rehab process ahead of him leading to his win at January’s Royal Rumble. While training for his comeback, Cody worked with NXT’s Carmelo Hayes and Joe Gacy to help Cody get ready for his return to the ring.

During an interview with Peter Rosenberg and Stat Guy Greg on Cheap Heat, Carmelo Hayes spoke about getting to learn from a guy like Cody Rhodes.

“They had mentioned to me, ‘Cody requested to train with you and Joe Gacy in the next week or so.’ ‘Oh shoot, cool.’ Cody had reached out to me two or three times before, just giving me critiques on my work and things like that. I had already had a back-and-forth relationship with him.”

“I had met Cody in the past. I was like, ‘All the people that he knows, and he’s picking me and Joe Gacy? Okay.’ He showed up, and a lot of people are like, ‘We helped Cody,’ but I learned a lot from Cody in that time working with him. He was fine. He didn’t need my help. I just think he needed clearance from medical to go through.”

“We worked for three or four days, we did matches on the fly and were just having fun and coming up with ideas like we have a match. He was helping me on my stuff. It was the little things. I credit Cody a lot. He’s like, ‘Melo and Joe Gacy helped me,’ No, he helped me a lot, actually.”

Carmelo Hayes and Cody Rhodes both have a busy weekend. Cody faces Brock Lesnar at WWE Night of Champions on Saturday while Hayes is in his home state of Massachusetts as he defends the NXT Title against Bron Breakker in the main event of Battleground on Sunday night.