Triple H needs to push 30-year-old star to the moon after he returned to the ring on WWE SmackDown

At SummerSlam, John Cena is set to defend the Undisputed WWE Championship against Cody Rhodes in a Street Fight. Rhodes is expected to regain his throne two weeks from now, which means there will be a hard reset in the main event picture on SmackDown. With that, viable and intriguing challengers for Cody and his Undisputed WWE Championship will emerge.

While the likes of Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton remain potential blockbuster feuds, there is also a case to be made to elevate guys like Damian Priest, Aleister Black, or even someone like Andrade. This leaves room for talent who are the right combination of young, fresh, and underutilized to also move up the card, whether gradually or with a rocket strapped to their back.

One young upstart heel who fits the description is Carmelo Hayes. A former NXT Champion, Hayes has made a habit of inciting conflict with the more experienced and accomplished talent on SmackDown, including Cody himself. In fact, the 30-year-old star was Cody's first opponent after his WrestleMania 40 Undisputed WWE Championship win and Hayes' first main roster opponent on SmackDown.

While Hayes has taken many losses since his SmackDown debut, he has consistently been featured and has been in the mix with some of the biggest stars in the industry over the past 15 months. He was a first-round pick in the WWE Draft: 2024. Carmelo Hayes is clearly someone Triple H looks at as a major star of tomorrow, and the time may have come to make a shift in how he is presented post-SummerSlam.

With his in-ring return after a month out of action, Carmelo Hayes is someone who could soon be elevated, at the very least, as a threat to the United States Championship. If Jacob Fatu wins back the title from Solo Sikoa at SummerSlam, Hayes would be a credible first challenger for The Samoan Werewolf. Over the long term, his charismatic persona and solid in-ring acumen could help him rise through the ranks; who knows, perhaps as a babyface, if the crowds start to develop an affinity for HIM.

Carmelo Hayes has the caliber and potential to become a legitimate top guy in WWE, but at some point, he will need to be presented the way he (and many fans) believes he ought to be presented: like he is HIM. After over a year on the main roster, fans are now familiar with HIM, and who he is as a character is now well-established.

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Does Carmelo Hayes have a match scheduled at WWE SummerSlam?

Carmelo Hayes is not scheduled to be in action at SummerSlam as yet, and he isn't really involved with any major storylines right now. However, given how Aleister Black got involved in Hayes' match against Damian Priest last night on SmackDown, some kind of tag team situation may materialize over the next few weeks, given Priest's alliance with R-Truth.

Whether WWE goes with a singles Damian Priest vs. Aleister Black match or a tag team match also involving Truth and Hayes remains to be seen. However, if the United States Championship picture remains occupied by the extended Samoan/Tongan dynasty, Hayes being involved in the Black/Priest feud remains a decent alternative.

Considering that this conflict could be interesting in determining the future of SmackDown for the rest of 2025 and beyond, the tag match could be made official for SummerSlam in the weeks to follow.