Carmelo Hayes has set his sights on a potential dream match with John Cena, building on their significant interaction during Hayes’s NXT tenure. During a recent interview with MuscleManMalcolm before the 2025 Royal Rumble, Hayes discussed his aspirations to face the 16-time world champion.
Their paths first crossed during a pivotal moment on the October 10, 2023 episode of NXT, where Cena played a crucial role in Hayes’s victory over Bron Breakker. With Paul Heyman supporting Breakker, Cena’s presence in Hayes’s corner proved decisive when he intervened to prevent Breakker from using steel steps, ultimately contributing to Hayes’s triumph.
The former NXT Champion spoke candidly about the impact of sharing the screen with his childhood hero, while expressing unwavering confidence about their paths crossing again in the future.
[Do you want to wrestle John Cena?] Yeah, absolutely. Cena…we looked up to him, he was our superhero. So getting to do that thing [sharing the screen on NXT] with John Cena was really cool. But I did know, even at that time I said, ‘I’m going to be seeing you.’ Most people can’t, but I will. I’ll be seeing you across the ring and tomorrow might be the day and if it ain’t tomorrow, it’ll be the day after that.’ So, we’re going to make it work.
Hayes’s determination to face Cena reflects both his respect for the veteran superstar and his confidence in his own trajectory within WWE. The interaction during his NXT run appears to have only strengthened his resolve to eventually stand across the ring from the man he once idolized as a superhero.