Carmelo Hayes got another shot at the United States Championship tonight on WWE SmackDown, and this time, he didn’t miss.
Tonight on WWE SmackDown, Carmelo Hayes was confronted backstage by the United States Champion, Ilja Dragunov. The champion put over their work as a tag team last week, but admitted the result of their match several weeks ago was eating him alive. Dragunov declared the open challenge tonight was closed, and Hayes would be getting another shot at the title.
It was a challenge that Hayes embraced after losing their last match due to interference from Tommaso Ciampa when it looked like they were primed to capture the title. While it’s clear that Dragunov wanted to prove himself tonight without help, it didn’t work out for The Mad Dragon.
The finish of the match saw Hayes hit Dragunov with Nothing But Net to score the pinfall victory and win the championship. It was the same move Melo was set to hit Dragunov with last time before Ciampa got involved.
Dragunov put the title around Melo’s waist following the match before raising his hand and embracing the new champion.
This loss ends Dragunov’s reign as United States Champion. The Mad Dragon racked up seven successful title defenses before tonight’s loss to Hayes. Tonight’s match encompassed everything great about Dragunov’s reign. Following in the footsteps of Sami Zayn and The Mad Dragon, Melo has some pretty big shoes to fill.
It’s unknown if Hayes plans to continue the United States Open Challenge.
No rest for newly crowned United States Champion Carmelo Hayes
Following the match, Cathy Kelley caught up with Hayes backstage to talk about his big win. Unfortunately for Melo, he was attacked by Johnny Gargano, who was looking to establish himself as the next challenger for the United States Championship.
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What did you think of tonight’s title change? Are you happy to see Carmelo Hayes as the new WWE United States Champion? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
