Carmelo Hayes is delighted just to be around John Cena during his final run in professional wrestling.
The former NXT Champion is looking forward to learning from John Cena for the rest of 2025. This is the final year of Cena’s career and he is attempting to make his last WrestleMania a good one by earning a WWE title shot inside the Elimination Chamber.
Speaking with Muscle and Fitness, Carmelo Hayes waxed lyrical about the 16-time WWE Champion. He said it was “very cool” to be in his presence and has enjoyed picking his brain and getting advice from John Cena.
“He’s somebody that’s, if you look at the landscape of our locker room right now, we’re very fortunate. We have a lot of heavy hitters that (have) been around the block. However, Cena’s just one of those guys that has just done it all,” Hayes explained.
“So, I mean, it’s very cool just being in his presence. It’s very cool to just pick his brain a little bit here and there and see what he’s thinking, what he’s going through. Man, like he’s earned this. He’s earned this story, he’s earned this kind of ‘go home’ for himself and this farewell for himself,” Hayes added. “He’s one of the biggest stars ever to come out of the WWE.”
Of course, John Cena hasn’t been around since the Royal Rumble, so Carmelo Hayes hasn’t got the full experience as of right now.
Carmelo Hayes: I Set IShowSpeed Up For Success At The Royal Rumble
At the 2025 Royal Rumble, social media star IShowSpeed was a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match. He replaced Akira Tozawa, who was attacked making his entrance and was unable to compete in the bout.
This did not end well for Speed. He ate a massive spear from Bron Breakker before being thrown unceremoniously over the top rope. However, Carmelo Hayes thinks he deserves some credit for his part in the spot. He attacked Tozawa, which allowed Speed to sub in and hit the now-iconic Royal Rumble spot.
Carmelo Hayes spoke with The Toronto Sun’s No Holds Barred about the Royal Rumble spot with Speed.
“Bro, he wasn’t even ready. If you watch the video, dude turned around and got smoked. Bro, he didn’t even know what was coming—no clue.” Carmelo Hayes said, before adding:
“Hey, I set him up for success. He could have main-evented WrestleMania, bro. That was on him. He had the shot.”
