Carmelo Hayes Just Made a Promise to His Fans After Being Left Off WrestleMania

Carmelo Hayes is not letting WrestleMania 42 disappointment define him — and he has a message for the fans who have supported his journey. Speaking with Adrian Hernandez, the former WWE United States Champion addressed missing the Show of Shows for the second consecutive year with a combination of genuine empathy for his supporters and unshakeable belief in his own future.

“I do feel bad for my fans, man. I don’t want y’all to feel bad for me because one way or another, I’m gonna get it. It doesn’t matter. I’m too talented to get denied year after year. The last two years I didn’t make it on WrestleMania, but it won’t happen a third, man,” Hayes said. He closed with the line that best captures his mindset. “I will be delayed but I will never be denied.” Hayes lost the United States Championship to Sami Zayn on the March 27 SmackDown when Trick Williams interfered and allowed Zayn to capitalize — a betrayal that effectively wrote Hayes out of the WrestleMania picture while setting up the Zayn versus Williams title match.