Carmelo Hayes hasn’t competed in a WWE premium live event match in 550 days. His last appearance came at Royal Rumble 2025, held on Feb. 1 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Hayes entered the match at No. 4 but was the first man eliminated. Bron Breakker hit a spear and sent him over the top rope after just 6:59 of action.
It’s even more surprising when you look at Hayes’ entire main roster run. Since he was called up to SmackDown in April 2024, Melo has competed in only three PLE matches: the Money in the Bank Ladder Match that same year, the Triple Threat Match for the United States Championship at Crown Jewel, and the 2025 Royal Rumble.
Carmelo Hayes has never had a singles match on a WWE premium live event since arriving on the main roster.
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1:45 PM · Aug 5, 2026Away from the premium live events, though, Hayes has picked up some notable wins. On April 18, 2025, he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Months later, on Dec. 26, 2025, he defeated Ilja Dragunov to win the United States Championship, holding the title for 90 days.
That WrestleMania 42 push was cut short, though, when Sami Zayn took the title off him on SmackDown on March 27 with an assist from Trick Williams. Hayes was left off the WrestleMania card and was once again overlooked at SummerSlam.
According to WrestleVotes, there’s no heat on Hayes backstage and no disciplinary issue at play. WWE has simply been prioritizing other names for its biggest cards.
At SummerSlam, Baron Corbin defeated Trick Williams to win the United States Championship.