Randy Orton's first-ever opponent sends a message before WWE SmackDown; the star seemingly takes a shot at Cody Rhodes

WWE Superstar Randy Orton will go one-on-one with a 29-year-old star for the first time ever. The Viper's opponent shared a determined message while seemingly taking a jab at Cody Rhodes ahead of Friday Night SmackDown.

The star in question is Carmelo Hayes. Last week on the blue brand show, The Apex Predator defeated AJ Styles to move to the quarterfinals of the King of the Ring tournament. Meanwhile, the former NXT Champion picked up a huge win over Baron Corbin to face Orton tonight on SmackDown.

On Melo's first official night on SmackDown, he went on to challenge The American Nightmare in the main event. Even though the 29-year-old failed to defeat Rhodes, he earned respect from the Undisputed WWE Champion for a stellar performance.

Carmelo Hayes is determined to swim with the sharks and has his eyes on the prize: The King of the Ring. Ahead of facing Randy Orton, the star sent a bold message and also asserted to be "undeniable," like Cody Rhodes.

"Woke up today and chose to be undeniable," he wrote.

Check out the former NXT Champion's tweet below:

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WWE Hall of Famer predicts Carmelo Hayes will lose to Randy Orton for one major reason

The winner of Melo vs. The Viper on SmackDown will advance to the semifinals of the King of the Ring bracket. WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long mentioned that the former NXT Champion's attitude can cost him the match against Orton.

Speaking on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine, Teddy Long mentioned that Carmelo Hayes did not have the best attitude and that he would lose to the 14-time World Champion.

"I ain't seen Carmelo Hayes. His attitude wasn't too good, you know, he never spoke to anybody, never talk much, so I don't really know anything about him. But I can tell you this, he ain't coming out on top over Randy Orton," he said.

You can watch the full video below:

It remains to be seen if the 29-year-old star manages to pick a big win over The Apex Predator to potentially become the 2024 King of the Ring in Saudi Arabia.