It has been over two decades since The Miz made his debut in the WWE. It’s not just the former WWE champion who has benefited from his stint in the WWE. The current United States Champion feels that the veteran’s backstage presence has been very important in his career.
Carmelo Hayes recently talked about how much Miz meant to him. His presence proved valuable to Hayes during some of the tougher moments in his career.
Carmelo Hayes Praises The Miz’s Mentorship
Speaking with Good Karma Wrestling, Hayes shared how different things play out behind the scenes compared to events on TV. While they have been rivals on-screen, there is a lot of respect between them in real life.
“He’s necessary, if that makes sense. He’s a necessary person to have around,” Hayes said. He even recalled thanking Miz backstage just for being there during a tough time.
“I remember at one point, despite whatever we have on storyline wise, I just said, ‘Thank you bro for being here, I’m so happy you’re here.’ I just had to tell him that, I was like, ‘I’m just so happy I’m here and you’re here at the same time and I’m getting to learn from you,'” he said.
Hayes explained that whenever he felt unsure about his place in WWE, The Miz helped him understand things clearly. As a two-time Grand Slam Champion with so much experience in the company, Miz has seen it all.
“Because there’s a lot of times where I was feeling low. Like I don’t know what’s going on and the only person that’s been able to explain it to me has been The Miz, because he’s been high, he’s been low, he’s been in the middle. He’s done it so many times,” Hayes added.
One piece of advice from Miz really stuck with him. “He gave me a great quote, some advice, he said, ‘When you’re at the top it’s gonna be easy because you figured out how to manage at the bottom.’ I was like ‘Dang, that’s so true.’ He was like ‘Yeah just wait, everybody gets a turn.’ In a way, not everybody gets their turn but when you’re good you’re gonna get chosen at some point right?” Hayes said.
Before beating Ilja Dragunov for the US Title in December 2025, Hayes teamed up with The Miz in their “Melo Don’t Miz” alliance. The partnership gave Hayes a boost on SmackDown, but it eventually fell apart when he decided to go solo. That breakup led to a heated feud and helped turn Hayes into a fan favorite. Nevertheless, the former WWE Champion continues to be a role model for Hayes to look upto.
Read More: The Miz Still Watches His WWE Matches For An Important Reason
