WWE Superstar Believes He Could Wrestle Circles Around CM Punk

Carmelo Hayes is open to stepping in the ring with CM Punk, but he doesn't think things would go well for the World Heavyweight Champion.

Both Carmelo Hayes and CM Punk entered 2026 with championship gold around their waist. Despite being on separate brands, the two men seem keen on standing across the ring from each other. And if Hayes has his way, both titles will be on the line.

WWE United States Champion Carmelo Hayes was a recent guest on the Beyond the Bell Podcast. When it was brought up that CM Punk had called Melo out for a match following the Royal Rumble, Hayes expressed his interest in making the matchup happen.

"Yeah, I mean, I definitely want to wrestle CM Punk," Carmelo Hayes admitted. "I made a joke on Twitter, though. I was like, if we do, it's gotta be winner-takes-all. That would be crazy. But yeah, Punk, he's actually a guy, man. Like, I've been watching him, obviously, since I was a kid, right? So I've looked up to CM Punk, and he's been a mentor to a lot of the younger guys backstage, despite what people want to say, right?

"He's always been a mentor to a lot of us, and he's always excited to see us have our first moments. I remember when I won the title, he was in gorilla with a tear in his eye. I couldn't believe it. I'm like, 'Bro, why do you care so much?' But it's just, I think, him seeing other people have these accomplishments for the first time, and remembering where he was when he had his first accomplishment. It's just very cool that he's like that, right?"

Carmelo Hayes doesn't believe CM Punk is ready for what he brings to the table

Despite CM Punk being the World Heavyweight Champion of WWE Raw, Melo doesn't seem too concerned about what would take place if the two men met inside the squared circle at some point in the future.

"But yeah, as far as getting in the ring with him, I'd probably run circles around him, honestly," Carmelo Hayes continued. "But I mean, no, I think CM Punk's a great in-ring performer, but I don't think he's ready for what I got. Because man, I'm just going right now, bro, like, week to week to week with it.

"And I'm very much looking forward to that match. And I challenge CM Punk to really bring the heat, man. And like I said, he's on the road too, and he's having a great title reign, but we can go title reign for title reign. And I don't think he's touching Melo."

While we don't expect Punk to answer Hayes' United States Title Open Challenge any time soon, it's fun to think about what would happen if these two faced off inside the squared circle at some point down the line.

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