Shawn Michaels praises 28-year-old rising WWE Superstar

WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels praised former Champion Carmelo Hayes.

In 2020, Carmelo Hayes made his debut and joined NXT. He also reenacted the infamous John Cena debut in a similar fashion to Adam Cole. Later, he won the NXT Breakout tournament and defeated Isaiah "Swerve" Scott to win the North American Championship.

Today on a media call with Kevin H. Kellam, Shawn Michaels promoted the upcoming Halloween Havoc premium live event which will take place on October 22nd. During the call, Shawn Michaels was asked about Hayes, and here's what the legend had to say about the rising superstar:

"Anyway, Carmelo and I get along great, he's a good kid. I think the sky's the limit," said Michaels. "He's special and talented. We have a lot of talks and I gave him the same lines that I was given many many years ago which is go ahead and push the envelope and let me pull you back and he does... He's a pro too I guess and I like that about him. He's got a lot of charisma, he's got a lot of ability. He's got a lot of attitude, but you know he really is a respectful young man."

Hayes will be one of the participants in the Ladder match for the vacant North American Championship.

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Carmelo Hayes is a 2-time North American Champion under Shawn Michaels' regime

Last year, Shawn Michaels took over the creative control of the NXT brand when Triple H was sidelined. During his reign as the creative head, Hayes became a prominent figure on the brand.

In his first reign, he defeated Isaiah "Swerve" Scott to win the North American Championship when he cashed in on his NXT Breakout contract. Earlier this year, he lost to the title in a Ladder match to Cameron Grimes.

He reclaimed the title at In Your House 2022 when he defeated Grimes. Last month, he lost the title to the returning Solo Sikoa, who returned to the brand to solely defeat Hayes for the title.

It will be interesting to see if Hayes ties the record with Johnny Gargano, a three-time North American Champion, when he participates in the upcoming ladder match for the vacant title.

Do you want to see Carmelo Hayes as a three-time NA Champion? Sound off in the comment section.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.