A new US Champion was crowned on WWE SmackDown, putting Ilja Dragunov’s dominating reign to an end. Carmelo Hayes — who debuted on the main roster in the 2024 draft — has won his first main roster championship in WWE.
When he was on the NXT roster he quickly became a rising star, winning the NXT North American and NXT Championship during his tenure. His main roster journey has been full of ups and downs, but tonight, Melo came out on top.
Melo sure Didn’t Miss This Opportunity
Dragunov has been a dominating US Champion, having won the title back in October from Sami Zayn. Each week, he holds an Open Challenge that Tommaso Ciampa, Hayes, JD McDonagh, Johnny Gargano, Nathan Frazer, Aleister Black, and Axiom have answered. Dragunov decided that Hayes is deserving of another opportunity because DIY soured his previous chance. This time… Melo didn’t miss. It was a hard-fought defense from Dragunov, but Hayes put him away with the First 48 and a Nothing But Net to secure the victory.
This is exactly what WWE needs to be doing in the wake of John Cena’s retirement. Although Hayes never got a chance to mix it up in the ring with Cena, the younger stars benefited greatly during his retirement showcase. Many other top stars are closer to the end than the beginning of their wrestling careers, so the changing of the guard needs to happen sooner than later. Superstars like Hayes, Trick Williams, Roxanne Perez, Stephanie Vaquer, Giulia, and Bron Breakker will be that change.
Hayes made it backstage but had a confrontation with an irate Johnny Gargano who made it known he’s coming for the U.S. Championship. So it appears Hayes won’t have long to celebrate his main roster win!
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