SUMMARY
- Carmelo Hayes has made a big impact since his main roster debut and is currently in a feud with LA Knight.
- Here are a few reasons why their rivalry deserves much more attention from the fans.
LA Knight and Carmelo Hayes are two well-known names in the world of professional wrestling. Not to mention they are both currently a part of the Stamford-based promotion, and in WWE, they thoroughly entertain the fans as members of the SmackDown brand division.
Meanwhile, LA Knight previously became a part of WWE in 2021. Thereafter, he began performing in the NXT brand division. During his time at NXT, he became the winner of the Million Dollar Championship. With that, in 2022, he got promoted to the main roster.
After his main roster debut, he was given a manager role. He was featured as Max Dupri, a talent agent who guided the Maximum Male Models group. With that, he remained with the group for a few months. However, he later betrayed the group and took up the LA Knight persona.
With that, he participated in several storylines and feuds. In addition to that, he also won the 2023 SummerSlam Slim Jim Battle Royal. Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that, in recent times, Knight has gained an immense amount of popularity among WWE fans.
On the other hand, Carmelo Hayes previously became a part of WWE in 2021. Following that, he began performing in the NXT brand division. During this, he participated in several storylines and feuds. In fact, his feud with Trick Williams is often talked about among the fans.
In addition to that, he also won several championships during his time at NXT. This includes winning the NXT Championship once, the NXT North American Championship twice, the NXT Cruiserweight Championship once, and more.
However, recently, during the 2024 WWE Draft, Hayes was promoted to the main roster as a member of the SmackDown brand division. With that, he has been gradually rising to prominence as a member of the main roster. Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that he is already popular among the fans for his noteworthy time in NXT.
Thus, it can be understood that both Knight and Hayes are popular among WWE fans. Meanwhile, WWE has been teasing a future match between the two Superstars. With that, here are three reasons why the match between Carmelo and Knight deserves a lot of attention from the fans.
3. It doesn’t get better than LA Knight and Carmelo Hayes on the microphone
On the May 17, 2024 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, LA Knight was interviewed by Cathy Kelly backstage. During that, he talked about The Bloodline and stated that he would introduce his finisher, the BFT, to Tama Tonga of The Bloodline. He said so because he had a match scheduled against Tonga on SmackDown.
Meanwhile, Carmelo Hayes ran interference, stated that he would introduce Knight to himself, and mentioned how he was the first-round draft pick. Hayes said that fans will soon chant his name. On the other hand, Knight stated that if Hayes wanted to hear something real, he said, “With everybody saying,” and fans loudly said, “LA Knight, yeah.”
LA Knight absolutely COOKED Carmelo Hayes, man. 😂😂#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/fOGSOPqf0R
— PW Chronicle (@_PWChronicle) May 18, 2024
Moving ahead, after Knight’s match against Tama Tonga, he was seen backstage talking with the referee. Meanwhile, Carmelo walks in and takes shots at Knight for being unable to win against Tonga. This led to a war of words between them, and Knight then pushed him.
With that, they kept taking shots at each other until WWE officials separated them. Meanwhile, though the interaction between Carmelo and Knight took place backstage, it immediately grabbed the attention of the fans. The promo between them was absolutely outstanding.
It can thus be understood that if Hayes and Knight ever face each other on the microphone, they will tear each other down. Meanwhile, Knight is extremely loved by the fans for his exceptional promo delivery skills. In fact, many times, fans have compared him with WWE legends and their on-the-mic skills. Also, Carmelo has often received praise for his mic skills.
Carmelo Hayes is such a troll man I love it man made sure to find LA Knight after he lost 😭😭😭#Smackdown pic.twitter.com/mAhMkdIAOd
— CrispyWrestling (@CrispyWrestlin) May 18, 2024
Thus, if a match between Knight and Hayes takes place going forward, it can be understood that they will thoroughly entertain the fans with their promos. They might even cut the best promos of their career. However, only time will tell if that happens.
2. The match will provide a new direction for both Hayes and Knight after their recent loss
Both LA Knight and Carmelo Hayes were recently participants in the King of the Ring tournament. Previously, in the first round of the tournament, Hayes defeated Baron Corbin to qualify for the next round. On the other hand, Knight defeated Santos Escobar to qualify.
With that, the quarterfinals of the tournament took place on the May 17, 2024, episode of Friday Night SmackDown. During that, Carmelo Hayes faced Randy Orton. However, the outcome of the match saw Randy hit him with the RKO for the win.
On the other hand, LA Knight was scheduled to face Tama Tonga in the quarterfinals. However, the outcome of the match saw Tonga defeat Knight with the help of Solo Sikoa. It can henceforth be understood that Randy Orton and Tama Tonga qualified for the next round of the tournament, while Knight and Hayes got kicked out of the tournament.
Thus, as of now, the future for both superstars remains uncertain. Meanwhile, since the two were spotted feuding backstage, an upcoming match between the superstars will give a new direction for their future. Fans will look forward to the match, and Hayes and Knight will be able to keep making regular appearances as a build-up to their match.
1. The match might help increase their momentum among the fans
Both LA Knight and Carmelo Hayes have maintained their individual momentum among the fans. Previously, Knight was involved in a feud with AJ Styles. This led to a match between them at WrestleMania 40. Thereafter, the outcome of the match saw Knight defeat Styles for the win.
With that, Knight gained huge momentum among the fans since he was able to defeat a WWE legend at the Grandest Stage of Them All. On the other hand, Hayes, after his main roster debut, challenged Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
However, the outcome of the match saw Cody defeat Carmelo. Meanwhile, despite his loss, Hayes gained huge momentum among the fans since he got a prestigious title shot in his first main roster match. With that, if Carmelo and Knight face each other going forward, they will be able to maintain their current momentum among the fans.
In addition to that, since fans love both superstars, there will be fewer chances of one outshining the other. Thus, they will be able to increase their popularity. Thus, keeping all the points in mind, Knight vs. Hayes might become a highly anticipated match going forward. With that, it remains to be seen if the largest wrestling promotion in the world will eventually go along with the match.
