Carmelo Hayes has faced plenty of adversity leading up to his arrival on the WWE main roster. He recently opened up about the advice WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels has given him on his journey.
Speaking on The Ringer Wrestling Show, Hayes was asked about any advice he had been given on standing out despite being a smaller-sized superstar. Hayes — who is 5’10 — revealed that Shawn Michaels told him that for someone like him, the grind would never stop. (H/t Jeremy Lambert of Fightful for the transcription)
“He told me, straight up, ‘You can never take a day off. A lot of these guys can take a day off and they’ll be accepted, but you can never take a day off or phone it in.’ It sucks in a way, but at the same time, I’m open to the challenge because the bar, for some reason, is raised higher because of my size,” Carmelo Hayes said. “People are expecting way more. I can’t make mistakes.
“Not on top of my size, but being perceived as someone who is being pushed to the forefront. I feel a lot of criticism from people off everything I do. I’ve had the microscope on me for a long time. I’m kind of used to it now, but the bar is very higher.”
Carmelo Hayes Wants To Prove People Wrong
Hayes went on to explain how his expectations for himself were higher. He reiterated that Michaels has given him some crucial advice.
“One, when you’re a Shawn Michaels guy. Two, when you’re a first-round draft pick. Three, being undersized. Four, being of color,” Carmelo Hayes said. “There are a lot of things that come into play with that pressure. I’m open to that challenge and looking to prove people wrong. As far as Shawn Michaels goes, he gives me that advice all the time. ‘You have to be better than the rest at everything. You can’t lack. What you lack in size, you have to make up for in every other category.'”
Carmelo Hayes defeated Baron Corbin to advance to the next round of the King of the Ring tournament on the May 10 episode of WWE SmackDown. More information is available here.
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