Hey, WWE—Time To Talk About Carmelo Hayes And The Miz

A New Beginning for Carmelo Hayes

Earlier this weekend, Carmelo Hayes made a significant return to the main roster by teaming up with The Miz on Friday Night SmackDown. This marked his first victory on a flagship WWE show since April, which is an important milestone in his career. Since winning The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal during 'Mania week, he hasn't had a win on a major show, making this recent success all the more meaningful.

The crowd was highly engaged during the tag team match between Hayes, The Miz, and Fraxiom, showing strong support for the pairing. More importantly, the finish of the match—where Hayes dominated but The Miz stole the glory at the last minute—was met with a positive reaction from the audience. This sets the stage for a compelling storyline that could really resonate with fans if given consistent attention.

Rekindling a Dynamic Partnership

Before diving into the potential future of this partnership, it's worth looking back at how this relationship started. Heading into WrestleMania season, it seemed like it might finally be Carmelo Hayes’ moment. He was getting big singles matches against top names like Cody Rhodes, Damian Priest, and Braun Strowman, and although he wasn’t always winning, he was gaining respect and building a positive reputation with the crowd.

Then came the backstage segments with The Miz, which hinted at a mentor-mentee dynamic. It was clear that The Miz was trying to use Hayes to rebuild his own career, and there was a sense that their relationship could evolve into something more meaningful. Their initial interactions were rocky, but there was hope that they could develop into a healthy partnership capable of achieving great things.

This potential was realized when The Miz helped Hayes win The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Unfortunately, the program didn’t get much time to develop before it was interrupted. The Miz accidentally undermined Hayes during a match, and then he left WWE for a few months to film the reboot of American Gladiators, which he’s hosting. During this time, Hayes struggled without his partner, often going weeks without appearing on television.

A Second Chance for a Successful Collaboration

Now that The Miz has returned, the partnership seems to be restarting, and the crowd’s positive reaction is a clear sign that this could be the start of something special. While the event being held in Hayes’ hometown of Boston likely contributed to the enthusiasm, the execution of the storyline and the chemistry between the two performers played a major role in the success of the match.

The characters of both Hayes and The Miz were well-developed, and the timing of The Miz stealing the win was perfectly executed. Fans are eager to see where this storyline goes, and WWE has already announced a match between the two and Motor City Machine Guns next week. This indicates that the writers are taking notice of the potential in this pairing.

Why This Partnership Matters

It’s no secret that WWE creative faces a tough challenge in deciding which talents to push. With so many talented performers, it can be difficult to give everyone the attention they deserve, especially with SmackDown cutting back to a two-hour show. However, in my opinion, Carmelo Hayes deserves more recognition. He is one of the best in-ring performers on the roster, and while he may not have shown the same charisma since his NXT call-up, there’s no doubt that it’s there.

The Miz, on the other hand, has a long history of making unexpected partnerships work. He’s one of the most successful tag team wrestlers ever, and his ability to engage the crowd and maximize his segments is unmatched. With Hayes’ in-ring talent and The Miz’s experience, the two could create some incredible matches every week.

A Long-Term Vision for the Pairing

I’m not sure what the long-term plan is for this storyline, but I believe it should be allowed to develop over time. A short feud between the two would be easier to execute, but I’d prefer to see them build momentum together first. If they can stack some wins and take the tag team titles from The Wyatt Sicks, they could become a dominant force in the tag division.

Eventually, The Miz will likely betray Hayes or treat him poorly, leading to a feud that allows Hayes to emerge as a solo performer. This could be the perfect way to launch his career into the main event scene. While I don’t think Hayes has the same WrestleMania main event potential as Bron Breakker, it’s easy to imagine a future where he becomes a core part of what WWE is doing.

WWE needs to be proactive in helping Hayes reach his full potential, and The Miz is the right partner to help him get there. The first step is to continue building the tag team storyline, and the next step is to use their eventual feud to elevate Hayes as a solo star. Let’s see where this partnership takes them.