The featured match on this week’s SmackDown saw Cody Rhodes taking on the up-and-coming Carmelo Hayes in a first-time encounter. The anticipation was high for this showdown, but veteran wrestling personality Dutch Mantell expressed some critiques regarding the event’s promotion.
Throughout the evening, Cody Rhodes was prominently featured, engaging in the ongoing storyline around the Undisputed WWE Championship with AJ Styles. Later in the show, he joined Triple H to announce the first round of the 2024 Draft.
Cody Rhodes Faces Carmelo Hayes on SmackDown: Feedback from Dutch Mantell
During the broadcast, Carmelo Hayes made an unexpected appearance, seemingly challenging Cody Rhodes to a headline match, which was confirmed to close the show.
Speaking on Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell shared his thoughts on the booking of Hayes against Rhodes as a strategy to rise the young star. However, Mantell believed that WWE fell short in maintaining viewer interest until the conclusion of the episode.
“It was a good way, but it didn’t hold me until the end of the show,” Mantell remarked during the discussion.
Mantell also mentioned his initial confusion over whether the match between Rhodes and Hayes was for the championship, as it was not explicitly clarified during the show.
“Well, what I thought about the first time I saw that, I thought the title was on the line. I was like, ‘Wait a minute?’ They can’t put the title on the line on this live show, and then he is going to Backlash with the title. They didn’t say anything about it, but it is what it is. We’ve seen it 100 times,” Mantell explained.
In the main event, Cody Rhodes emerged victorious against Carmelo Hayes. The match was designed to showcase Hayes as a top prospect despite his loss to the Undisputed WWE Champion. This outcome potentially sets up future opportunities for Hayes to contend for the championship.
