Carmelo Hayes, Austin Theory Avoid Major Injuries After Scary Fall on WWE SmackDown

WWE announced Friday night that Austin Theory and Carmelo Hayes avoided major injuries despite a scary spot during their match on SmackDown.

In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, WWE assured fans that Theory and Hayes were "okay" and both suffered only facial contusions:

Friday night's match occurred after Hayes was interrupted by Theory and Grayson Waller during a backstage conversation with SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis.

At one point during the bout, Hayes and Theory were both on the ropes in an apparent effort to do a Spanish Fly, but Theory didn't get fully rotated, causing him to land on his head and neck.

Hayes also landed awkwardly, resulting in the referee immediately calling off the match, and the ringside doctor checking on both Superstars.

Since signing with WWE in 2021, Hayes has been a mainstay in NXT, holding both the NXT Championship and North American Championship at various points.

Recently, WWE has seemingly been working him into the main-roster plans, as he was part of the tournament to determine the No. 1 contender for Logan Paul and the United States Championship.

Before Theory and Waller interrupted, Hayes mentioned something to Aldis about the Royal Rumble, which suggests he could be part of the men's Royal Rumble match later this month.

As for Theory, the 26-year-old is among the most promising young talents WWE has to offer.

Since making his move from NXT to the main roster in 2021, Theory is a two-time United States champion and one-time Money in the Bank winner, plus he beat John Cena last year a WrestleMania.

With both Hayes and Theory thankfully coming out of Friday's mishap in good shape, there could be big plans for both of them in place leading up to WrestleMania 40 in April.

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