29-year-old WWE star claims he got rewarded at airport for pinning Randy Orton on SmackDown

Carmelo Hayes defeated Randy Orton and Tama Tonga on the June 21 episode of SmackDown.

29-year-old WWE star claims he got rewarded at airport for pinning Randy Orton on SmackDown

Randy Orton (via Wrestle Talk)

It looks like Carmelo Hayes has slowly found his footing on the main roster after a few months. He qualified for the MITB ladder match at Money in the Bank PLE after defeating Randy Orton and Tama Tonga in a triple threat match. The effort rewarded the 29-year-old star for his performance. He shared the exciting news on social media.

Carmelo Hayes took to X and revealed that after he pinned Randy Orton to win the match, he got a free meal at the airport. During the conversation, the worker stated that he was really ‘him’ after defeating a legend like The Viper. The former NXT Champion demanded the same type of energy wherever he traveled from then on.

YouTube video

On the June 21 edition of SmackDown, Hayes, Orton, and Tama Tonga wrestled in a triple threat match with qualification for the MITB ladder match up for grabs. As The Legend Killer seemed to be in control of the match, Tonga Loa from The Bloodline came in to distract him. In the end, he was successful, as the distraction helped the 29-year-old star roll Orton up for the quick pin.

FS Video
Just got free food at the airport. Bro said "It's free, you pinned Randy Orton. You're Him." This is the type of energy I need in every city from now on
Carmelo Hayes on X

Surprisingly, this was only the second win of Hayes’ main roster run. His first win came in the first round of the King of the Ring Tournament, where he defeated Baron Corbin. Even though the former NXT Champion is not one of the favorites to win the briefcase, fans can expect some exciting moments from him in the match.

Carmelo Hayes sent a message to the WWE Universe after qualifying for MITB Ladder Match

Recently, many fans noticed that several stars had their entrances cut out and were already in the ring during the commercial break. Carmelo Hayes was among those affected, as he didn’t get his specific entrance for the aforementioned triple threat match. Therefore, he addressed the topic on social media after winning the match.

Carmelo Hayes
Carmelo Hayes (via WWE)

After a lot of criticism online from fans, the SmackDown star took to X and stated that he wasn’t worried about the entrance. Hayes said all he focused on was how he was going to exit the arena. The 29-year-old star did exactly that, winning the match and booking his ticket to Canada for the July 6 event.

They worried bout the entrance I'm focused on the exit.
Carmelo Hayes on X

Interestingly, on the June 21 episode of SmackDown, all the stars who didn’t get their entrances won their respective matches. Chelsea Green pulled off an upset and defeated Mia Yim and Bianca Belair. Meanwhile, Andrade beat Kevin Owens and Grayson Waller to qualify for the MITB ladder match.

In case you missed it: