NBA star Tyrese Haliburton gets ‘cooked’ in front of 12k fans after Carmelo Hayes roast on SmackDown
Tyrese Haliburton was in attendance for SmackDown ahead of the Royal Rumble at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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Tyrese Haliburton on SmackDown [via- WWE]
One day before the Royal Rumble, WWE took a detour at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indiana for SmackDown. Amongst the attendees for the show was none other than Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton. The NBA star sat front row to witness the live action on the blue brand. However, Haliburton caught a stray from the cocky Carmelo Hayes.
While making his way to the ring for his match against Jimmy Uso, Hayes engaged in his usual schtick. The former NXT Champion vowed to win the match, promising that he wouldn’t miss like Haliburton. The cameras panned to the Pacers star smiling and seemingly praising Hayes’ insult. Despite all the trash talk before the match, Hayes ended up losing to Uso. Following the bout, Big Jim celebrated with Haliburton, further adding salt to Hayes’ wounds.
Haliburton is a well-known WWE fan, voicing his love for the sports entertainment titan on several occasions. In fact, the point guard set the internet on fire with his confrontation with New York Knicks Jalen Brunson on an episode of SmackDown back in June. Moreover, the duo almost engaged physically before Logan Paul pulled Haliburton away.
Why did Carmelo Hayes have to FRY Tyrese Haliburton like this 😭#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/ith3AncVfi
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) February 1, 2025
Meanwhile, Carmelo Hayes‘ embarrassing losing streak extended on SmackDown. The last time Hayes won a match via pinfall was back in October against AJ Styles. While the 30-year-old star has shown promising signs since joining the blue brand, he has yet to meet fan expectations. That being said, many are hoping for Hayes to prove his doubters wrong at the Royal Rumble.
WWE CCO Triple H teases Tyrese Haliburton appearing in the Men’s Royal Rumble match
On Friday afternoon, WWE hosted a Royal Rumble Kickoff show ahead of the PLE, which Tyrese Haliburton also attended. During the show, Triple H hyped up the crowd for the titular matches. The WWE CCO said that anybody could appear in the 30-person match.
The Game then approached Haliburton, asking him if he had time to talk. As such, the Indiana Pacers star could very well be a surprise entrant in the men’s match. However, it needs to be noted that Haliburton will be in action when the Pacers take on the Atlanta Hawks.
Triple H says that “just about anybody could enter the #RoyalRumble as a surprise”.
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) January 31, 2025
And then proceeds to ask Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton if he’s got a minute. pic.twitter.com/rsOXs27x2N
If Haliburton somehow makes it in time for the Royal Rumble match, he will be facing an almost impossible task of winning it. This year’s men’s 30-man bout features one of the most stacked lineups in history, with the likes of John Cena, Roman Reigns, and CM Punk in action.
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Vansh Shah
(1107 Articles Published)