When WWE loaded up the NXT card on 10/10 to compete head-to-head against AEW Dynamite and the in-ring debut of Adam Copeland, booking current and future Hall of Famers like Paul Heyman, John Cena, Asuka, and The Undertaker in addition to the television debut of Carmelo Hayes versus Bron Breakker, it generated all sorts of different reactions from around the WWE Universe.
Some fans lauded WWE for embracing the hustle, appreciating that fans got to see a fantastic series of appearances and matches for free on television, while others laughed it off, annoyed by the fact that WWE was more concerned with getting fans to watch the show based on their attachment to stars of the past, instead of highlighting the developmental talents and current storylines that were regularly featured by Shawn Michaels and company.
Which side was right? Well, it's impossible to say, but the real winner of the evening might not have been the fans watching the show but instead the NXT stars who got to work alongside all of the main roster talents, as Hayes noted in an appearance on the Black Rasslin' Podcast.
“It's crazy. In the beginning, I've been around ‘Taker, I've been around Cena. I've been fortunate enough to have an hour conversation with Undertaker, an hour conversation with Cena before,” Carmelo Hayes said via Fightful. “So luckily, I wasn't unfamiliar with these guys. But just being around them is always cool. You'd be surprised at how chill and laid-back they really are. This was a day off, and they were kind of just chilling. You could see, they were so happy to be around the youth of it all. The coolest thing was probably seeing all of them interact, like Shawn and ‘Taker and John and Paul. Just seeing them all interact, I was just like kids, like this is freaking cool. But again, it was just business, and we were pros, and we had to handle it like that. Obviously, we had to let, to let our inner human being kind of hold that down for a little bit.”
Say what you will about the WWE developmental system, about everyone learning from the same brain trust and having to stick to relatively similar tracks along the path to WWE Superstardom, but getting to pick the brains of people like Heyman, Cena, and The Undertaker is a pretty darn impressive bonus that basically no other promotion can offer to young stars just looking to establish themselves in the sport. When those legends go the extra mile to really make a performer feel and look special, however, is when things can really take things over the top.
Carmelo Hayes breaks down his fist raise with The Undertaker.
Continuing his conversation on the Black Rasslin' Podcast, Carmelo Hayes opened up about one of the true signature moments of his WWE career, lifting his hand in the air alongside The Undertaker after securing a win over Bron Breakker on NXT.
While Hayes was familiar with Taker from their previous time together, what happened after the match was truly organic in the best way possible.
“I remember doing the whole thing with Taker, I didn't know that was going to happen. I was just following him back,” Hayes recalled. “I didn't know what we were doing. I'm just standing there like, ‘Undertaker,' and we're off-air, and I'm just kind of following him around like a lost puppy. Then he's telling me, ‘Wait.' I go, ‘Oh shoot.' He's like, ‘Alright, on three, turn back.' I'm thinking, okay. Turn back. ‘Alright, back.' Turn back. ‘Alright. When the music drops. Throw up the arm.' I was like, ‘Oh s**t.' One, two, three, boom. Then he's like, ‘Alright, let's go.' I got to the back, I was like, ‘That was so freaking cool.' He just patted me on the back. That's where I finally let go of all that professionalism and allowed myself to really take it in. It took me three or four days to really soak all that in. That was just amazing. But we gotta do a TV next Tuesday, so I'll leave that be where that was and focus on what's next.”
In professional wrestling, sometimes the most incredible moments aren't planned in advance or designed in a proverbial lab to try to elicit a reaction from the WWE Universe, but instead, an organic moment that turns into something truly special. If Taker truly called that spot in the proverbial ring, giving Hayes commands either live in the moment or during the rehearsals for the segment, then he gave his younger foil a signature moment that will live on as part of his highlight reels forever.