6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Dec 15 - Results & Review)

5. A Sparkling Introduction

Carmelo Hayes Grayson Waller
WWE.com

Wow, that was a nifty intro to the main roster for Carmelo Hayes.

He'll be grateful that WWE stuck him out there with someone he trusts, and Grayson Waller was only too happy to bump around for his fellow NXT alumni. Or...can Hayes actually be called "NXT alumni" quite yet? Probably not, but he'll surely be called up for good during or after WrestleMania season.

Fans there for SmackDown didn't give him the megastar treatment, or anything, but most would've been impressed by what they witnessed in-ring. This was a deceptively big deal for Carmelo, because it proved to those watching in the back that he belongs at a higher level than NXT.

The match was a success from start to finish, which is really all anyone could've asked for. It was a sweet touch to include a video package of his NXT highlights for those who don't watch the third brand much too. Yep, this was a winner, and a showing Hayes can be proud of.

Advertisement
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.