DDP picks 28-year-old WWE Superstar as the rookie of the year (Exclusive)

WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page has picked NXT Superstar Carmelo Hayes as the Rookie of the Year 2022 in the Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards.

Hayes has gone from gone strength in recent years, with 2022, in particular, arguably being the best year of his wrestling career. At a time when NXT 2.0 was receiving mixed reactions from fans, the 28-year-old was universally praised by everyone.

After two successful reigns with the NXT North American Championship, Carmelo Hayes is now gearing up to challenge Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship at Stand and Deliver 2023. Many fans think Hayes would be the one to finally put an end to Breakker's dominance at the top of the card.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling's Bill Apter, Diamond Dallas Page picked Carmelo Hayes as the "Rookie of the Year." He also mentioned that Solo Sikoa, too, stood out in 2022 but ultimately picked Hayes. The WWE legend believes that the NXT star was a tremendous worker for an athlete of his age.

"I gotta give him [Carmelo Hayes] the nod. Solo is a phenomenal talent. A great wrestler, insanely believable but I gotta give the nod, it's really close, to Carmelo. To be that young and be in the business and be a rookie and to have the poise and the work rate he has in the ring is pretty great. So I'm gonna give the nod to Carmelo there," said DDP. (10:13 - 10:48)

Check out the video below:

The voting lines for the annual Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards are open now! Make your picks here right now!

---

Bayley thinks Carmelo Hayes could become a main eventer for WWE

In an interview a couple of weeks back, Bayley showered praise on Carmelo Hayes and predicted a bright future for him in WWE. The Role Model stated that she would bet money on Hayes becoming a main eventer in the global juggernaut.

"There’s a lot here actually. I think they [fans] already (…) they could see it already but Carmelo Hayes is one of the guys I would definitely say you could bet money on that he’s gonna be a big star and be on WrestleMania and SummerSlam and all the big shows and be a champion for years to come," said Bayley.

Whether Hayes wins the NXT Championship at Stand or Deliver, it's safe to assume he is poised to shine on WWE's main roster.

---

You can find DDP on his podcast DDP Snake Pit, alongside Jake The Snake Roberts, where they talk about an array of topics in the wrestling business.

---

If any quotes are used from this article, please embed the YouTube link and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling.