WWE Royal Rumble 2023 is set to begin in approximately 4 hours (as of the time of writing), and though this article might seem last minute, my dark horse pick to win this year’s men’s, Royal Rumble, certainly is not. No, I’ve known my pick since December 10th, 2022. I began fantasy booking Carmelo Hayes’ Road to WrestleMania in the final 45 seconds of the first-ever men’s Iron Survivor Challenge, just as he hits “nothing but net” only to have victory snatched from his fingertips.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking. It makes no sense to book Melo’s ascent to championship glory in the City of Angels at this point, and you’d be right. For now. So, for the time being, let’s discuss why Carmelo Hayes is my dark horse pick to win this year’s Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
Since he arrived in WWE, Carmelo’s ever-increasing accolades have been nothing short of incredible. He is the 2021 Men’s Breakout Tournament winner, a 2-time NXT North American Champion, and part of the winning team at the 2021 war games, to name but a few. Hayes has had an incredible first couple of years in WWE, and I believe 2023 will truly be his year. Winning the royal rumble match would be a tremendous first step in starting this brilliant, well-deserved road to WrestleMania.
The Royal Rumble is truly anyone’s game, as illustrated by our very own Kevin Parvizi. This makes it the perfect match for the man who does not miss to do what most people are not expecting and win. A lot of you might question my reasoning behind this choice and while Melo is my favorite NXT Superstar (I’m sorry Wes!), I promise you there is a rational thought process behind this pick.
Time and time again, Carmelo has proven that he shines in high-pressure situations. he has had phenomenal matches with the likes of Santos Escobar, Roderick Strong, and most recently, Wes Lee and Apollo Crews. Melo is an individual that is not afraid of doing whatever is necessary to achieve what he needs to.
If you ask me, that is the perfect mentality for someone to win the royal rumble. Competing against twenty-nine other men (preferably from the number 7 or 13 spot), this victory would be the perfect start to a brilliant year for Melo, as well as the first step to a little thing l like to call “WrestleMania 39: NXT Goes Hollywood”, but we’ll talk about that later.
Ciao for now, humans.
