WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels took Carmelo Hayes under his wing from the very beginning in NXT.
NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes recently spoke with Rick Ucchino of Cageside Seats to discuss a wide variety of subjects. While discussing how difficult it is to be a professional wrestler, Hayes talked about Shawn Michaels comparing being a WWE Superstar to spinning plates.
“There’s a lot to it. Shawn Michaels always talks about at the circus there’s a guy that spins plates,” Carmelo Hayes said. “He says, okay, you learn the moves, boom, boom, boom. Okay, now you work the cameras, boom, boom, boom. Okay, now you’re selling boom, boom, boom. So you’re literally spinning all these different plates. That’s what we do. And it’s like some people can do two at a time, some people can do three, some people can have 10. The better you are.”
When asked what working alongside Shawn Michaels over the past couple of years in NXT has meant to him, Hayes said HBK saw the potential in him before anyone else in WWE.
“He saw it in me before anybody. And it’s wild because I had wrestled in front of him. I hadn’t even met him at that point,” Carmelo Hayes said. “We had done an in-house type of show, and I remember the very first time I wrestled in front of him, he kind of said like, ‘Yeah, this kid is something.’ And then it was his idea to get me in front of Hunter.
“And I remember he told me that story afterward. Like, I just wanted to get you in front of Hunter. I just wanted him to see you. And that’s when they ended up putting me in the match with Kushida for the Cruiserweight Title, which ended up being my debut. So, he’s always believed in me from day one.
And I know I can be a pain in the ass. And he respects that, I think, because he knows, at one point, he was a pain in the ass. And I don’t do it in a bad way, but I’m so freaking passionate bro, about what I do and what I want to do. And I just want to do things different. And he knows that. And I’m very, very vocal about whatever it is.
“So, I think that’s why him and I have a close bond because he’s like, man, I can’t blame you, but I know what I’m talking about. Trust me, but I understand where you’re coming from. So that’s our relationship. And he’s been nothing but great to me.
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What do you make of Carmelo Hayes’ comments? Are you happy that Shawn Michaels saw something in Hayes early in his NXT career? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
