Framingham's Melo Is Money. Will Melo Be Money in the Bank in WWE?

WWE Superstar Carmelo Hayes, a key member of the WWE SmackDown roster, will be in Canada, looking to live-up to one of his catchphrases.

Hayes, who was drafted to SmackDown from developmental WWE NXT in 2024, is already making a mark as a qualifier for the WWE Money in the Bank ladder match, which is Saturday, July 6 streaming on Peacock from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

"Melo is Money" is one of his catchphrases; so it seems apropos he is competing in the Money in the Bank ladder match at the event with the same name.

Chad Gable, Andrade, LA Knight, Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre also qualified for that exciting MITB match with the winner earning a main title shot at any time. It is a life changing opportunity for the MITB match winner.

The event also features a women's Money in the Bank ladder match with the same stipulations.

Hayes advanced to Money in the Bank in June by winning a triple threat match with Tama Tonga of The Bloodline and "The Viper" Randy Orton. To qualify, Hayes pinned Orton (a big victory) on WWE Friday Night SmackDown on Fox. Orton pinned Hayes a month earlier in a WWE King of the Ring quarterfinal.

That speaks volumes of what WWE hierarchy thinks of Hayes as WWE creative has already positioned him into high profile matches against some of the best, i.e. McIntyre, Knight, Orton, and Rhodes.

Here is my exclusive 1-on-1 video interview with the talented WWE superstar. Hayes discusses WWE, Money in the Bank, NXT, WWE PC, Florida, The Rock, Framingham High School, Boston Celtics and more.

Hayes (Christian Brigham), 29, is from Framingham, Massachusetts. Another Boston Celtics fan (not as big a fan as WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston), Hayes celebrated the Celtics winning the NBA title in June.

Hayes excelled in sports at a young age, but he was more interested in girls and other things in high school (Framingham High School). A pro wrestling fan as a kid -- his favorite The Rock -- he did not watch much as a teenager, lost that interest. After graduating high school in 2012, a friend convinced him to try pro wrestling as a career. Pro wrestling turned his life around, gave him purpose in a good way.

Trained by Brian Fury in the Boston area, Hayes debuted in 2014 for Chaotic Wrestling in New England. He excelled on the indies in the Northeast as Christian Casanova. John Cena, Kingston and Paul "Triple H" Levesque are from New England, too. Kingston is a Chaotic Wrestling alum. Cena's dad, John Sr. (Johnny Fabulous), was a ring announcer for Chaotic Wrestling.

After about seven years on the smaller independent circuit, Hayes got his big break, signing with WWE in 2021. He moved to Orlando, training at the WWE Performance Center. Hayes excelled, winning the WWE NXT Breakout Tournament, NXT Cruiserweight title, NXT North American title, and (the pinnacle in NXT) the NXT title. He did a very good job carrying the ball as the main attraction for NXT, which is WWE's own developmental group.

At Night 1 of the WWE Draft on the April 26, 2024 episode of "WWE Friday Night SmackDown" on Fox, he was promoted to the SmackDown brand as the third overall draft pick by GM Nick Aldis. In his WWE SmackDown debut, he wrestled WWE Champ Cody Rhodes in the main event and did very well. A blue chipper, he is someone to watch.

"WWE Money in the Bank" is Saturday, July 6 streaming live on Peacock from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown on Fox is 8 p.m. Fridays.

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I work part-time on the sports desk of the Miami Herald in South Florida and am also a freelance writer, conducting interviews with MMA fighters and pro wrestlers.