Carmelo Hayes Breaks Silence After Inching Closer to Wrestling John Cena in His Last WWE match 

Carmelo Hayes received a little help from Cody Rhodes for advancing in The Last Time is Now tournament on SmackDown.

Carmelo Hayes Breaks Silence After Inching Closer to Wrestling John Cena in His Last WWE match 

Carmelo Hayes beat Bronson Reed on SmackDown [via- WWE]

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Following the conclusion of all first-round matches in The Last Time is Now tournament, many names, including Carmelo Hayes, have gotten a step closer to stepping into the ring with John Cena in his last-ever WWE match. The former NXT Champion ousted Bronson Reed in a count out victory on this week’s SmackDown after utter chaos at ringside.

Hayes took to X and posted a couple of pictures, saying that “Vision is clear.” In the first picture, the 31-year-old could be seen sitting on his knees with sheer joy on his face, knowing it was a step in the right direction. In the second one, he posted a shocked Paul Heyman, who was in disbelief after seeing Reed failing to answer the referee’s count of 10.

The Auszilla’s stablemates Bron Breakker and Logan Paul played a factor in the match for a while until they got neutralized by The Usos. In the closing moments, Cody Rhodes would appear at ringside out of nowhere while the referee was occupied with Heyman. ‘The American Nightmare’ drove Reed face first into the steel ring post and followed it up with a Cross Rhodes.

It rendered the ‘Tribal Thief’ impotent, and hence he couldn’t make it back into the ring in time. Hayes later thanked Rhodes via X, wherein the ‘A-Champion’ hailed the former AEW EVP as his QB1. As a result of his win over Bronson Reed, Hayes will now have to combat an even more daunting threat from Gunther. They’re slated to meet in a quarterfinal match on this week’s Raw in Oklahoma City.

Could Carmelo Hayes stun Gunther to close in on a John Cena showdown?

As just noted, Carmelo Hayes has a gargantuan task ahead with Gunther standing in his way. It’s going to be their first meeting on the main roster. ‘The Ring General’ dodged a tricky first-round opponent in Je’Von Evans at Madison Square Garden. Evans came close to pulling off a major upset, but the Austrian brought his wizardry to the table and got the job done.

Carmelo Hayes vs Gunther is set for Raw
Carmelo Hayes vs Gunther is set for Raw [via- WWE]

The erstwhile Walter is reportedly WWE’s internal pick for opposing John Cena on December 13 at Saturday Night’s Main Event. So does it mean the upcoming Hayes vs. Gunther clash on Raw is merely a formality? Barring a drastic change in plans, ‘The Ring General’ will make it past the Massachusetts native.

But the flip side of the story says that WWE has a golden opportunity to let a massively underutilized talent like Hayes advance over someone like Gunther, who’s already established himself on the main roster. Carmelo Hayes has struggled to find his footing on SmackDown ever since getting drafted to that brand last year.

It’s make or break for him at this point, and a win over the two-time World Heavyweight Champion would be a shot in the arm for the ex-Melo Don’t Miz member. A good chunk of the fans is also rooting for Hayes to be Cena’s last WWE opponent. Hayes had ‘The Cenation Leader’ in his corner back during an episode of NXT in late 2023 against Bron Breakker, who was backed by Paul Heyman that night.

Earlier this year, ‘The A-Champion’ got asked about Cena’s influence on the WWE locker room. Speaking on Muscle and Fitness, Hayes considered himself and other up-and-coming stars very fortunate to have Cena in their vicinity. The former NXT Champion noted how cool it actually is to pick his mind, especially knowing the number of years he’s spent in this business.

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