Carmelo Hayes’ unexpected alliance with 946 may have caught fans off guard, but according to a new backstage report, WWE had everything mapped out long before he resurfaced on RAW.

According to PWInsider, rumors that Hayes was on his way out of WWE or could be released were never based in reality. Instead, the report states that WWE’s plan to align him with 946 had been in place for quite some time.

Hayes had quietly disappeared from WWE television after wrapping up his United States Championship program with Baron Corbin in August, leading plenty of fans to wonder why he had seemingly fallen off the radar. That absence wasn’t because WWE had cooled off on him—it was actually part of the storyline.

PWInsider reports that Hayes was intentionally downplayed on television to make his eventual reveal alongside Bronco Nima, Lucien Price and Royce Keys a much bigger surprise. As he stayed off TV, fans filled in the blanks themselves, with online speculation ranging from creative having nothing for him to rumors that he could be leaving the company.

Instead, WWE was sticking to the long-term plan all along. Hayes finally resurfaced on the October 12 episode of RAW, attacking Solo Sikoa with a tire iron before standing shoulder-to-shoulder with 946 to close the show in one of the night’s biggest moments.

The new report also lines up with another recent backstage claim that Hayes had actually been earmarked for the faction as far back as July, suggesting his move wasn’t a last-minute creative decision but something WWE had been building toward behind the scenes.

Now that Hayes has officially revealed where his loyalties lie, the mystery surrounding his disappearance is over. If these reports are accurate, WWE never lost faith in Carmelo Hayes—it was simply playing the long game before pulling the trigger on one of RAW’s biggest surprises.

What do you think of Carmelo Hayes joining 946? Was the long wait worth the payoff, or would you have preferred to see him used differently? Let us know in the comments below.