Carmelo Hayes opens up about now being selected to Raw or SmackDown in the 2023 WWE draft.
The current reigning NXT Champion discussed this topic during a recent interview with WrestlingNews.Co, where he explained why he doesn’t mind remaining on the yellow-and-black brand as he feels like he still has unfinished business.
No sad feelings. At the end of the day, when you’re thinking about the draft, you’re thinking about getting the very best that there is to offer, so it was a little surprising that a couple names were mentioned. I’m not saying that those guys aren’t great talents, those girls aren’t talents cause they are and they deserve to be on the main roster, but I think I have unfinished business here and I’m okay with holding it down in NXT.
Hayes later reiterates his point, adding that he wanted to be seen as a top guy for NXT and is finally getting a chance to prove that he is.
This is what I asked for, this is what I wanted. I wanted to be the face of the brand and I wanted to be the champion and defend this championship and take it to newer heights and newer levels. This was kind of right on pace for me. Moving up to the main roster, it’s a goal of mine, but it’s not going anywhere and I’m only gonna be better and these defenses are only gonna make me stronger and better.
In a separate interview, Hayes discussed the decline NXT had due to COVID, but how he hopes to bring it back to the golden era now that he’s champion. You can read his comments on that here.
(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)