Rising star challenges Cody Rhodes moments after being drafted to WWE SmackDown

Modified Apr 27, 2024 00:48 GMT

A rising star just challenged Cody Rhodes after he was drafted to WWE SmackDown.

Carmelo Hayes has shown a lot of growth ever since his debut in NXT. He was one of the fastest-rising stars in the brand and quickly captured the NXT North American Championship and went on to have two successful reigns as champion. As his stock continued to rise, Hayes captured the NXT Championship as well.

Although he lost the title within a few months, he still found himself competing on SmackDown during the United States Championship tournament and it looks like he impressed the higher-ups in WWE.

Tonight on SmackDown, WWE is hosting its annual Draft and Carmelo Hayes was a first-round draft pick for the blue brand. The draft pick was announced by the Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes.

Hayes then came out and addressed The American Nightmare and said that when he shoots, he doesn't miss. He then challenged Rhodes to a match which he graciously accepted for later tonight.

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This is a great way for Carmelo Hayes to make a name for himself on his first official night as a SmackDown star. However, it remains to be seen if he will be able to defeat Cody Rhodes.

About the author

Sunil is a pro wrestling journalist, covering AEW and WWE news stories at Sportskeeda. He holds an MBA degree in Marketing, and has nearly 7 years of experience. A wrestling aficionado since childhood, Sunil used to imitate his favorite wrestlers as a young kid, and started writing professionally about the sport via Sportskeeda’s revenue-sharing opportunity.

Sunil admires former world champions AJ Styles, Will Ospreay, and Kenny Omega for their ability to consistently deliver great matches as well as entertain crowds with their mic skills.

If ever given a chance to change a storyline, Sunil would have booked Roman Reigns to end The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak instead of Brock Lesnar. According to him, The Tribal Chief needed the victory more than Brock Lesnar, as the latter was already an established performer when he defeated ‘Taker. He would’ve also made that as Taker’s final match.

Always focused on making his work accurate and reliable, Sunil thoroughly checks his facts before writing his articles. When not writing for pro wrestling, he spends his time watching cricket.

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Edited by Sayantan Niyogi