Trick Williams has been through a lot as WWE United States Champion, dealing with Carmelo Hayes, Ricky Saints, and Sami Zayn. He captured the title from Zayn during night 2 of WrestleMania: Vegas. But since then, it’s been one catastrophe after another.
An element of surprise was introduced during the build to their rematch at Backlash. Gingerbread Man was created as a joke by him, but the tables got turned. Zayn became Gingerbread Man, beating him and Lil Yachty multiple times.
But he got the last laugh as he beat Zayn to retain the title. His old friend Hayes wanted the title, but got involved with Saints. Now, the two of them both want the title. During a tense confrontation on the June 12, 2026, episode of Friday Night SmackDown, he proposed that a singles match on June 19 would determine who would face him at Night of Champions on June 27. Many people want a winner, but a disqualification would be a better idea.
A Triple Threat Match Would Add to an Already Stacked Night of Champions Card
The card for Night of Champions is looking pretty good. Two matches will be for the finals of the King and Queen of the Ring tournament and a probable match for the Undisputed WWE Championship, though whether Cody Rhodes or Gunther will hold it remains to be seen. A disqualification on Friday will give justification for a triple threat match at Night of Champions. It’s been clear for weeks now that Hayes and Saints don’t like each other at all.
Those feelings might even be stronger than the feeling for championship gold. It’s not unreasonable to think that something will happen that will cause a disqualification. Williams will also like that, as it’ll prove his point from the last several weeks. He’s sick of Hayes and Saints fighting each other, which is why he created the match in the first place. He’ll view the disqualification as a severe consequence of their actions, so he’ll happily defend the title in a triple threat match.
A Trick Williams Retention Could Lead to a Definitive SummerSlam Match
This year, SummerSlam takes place on August 1 and 2, which is only five weeks after Night of Champions. Some feuds won’t end after next Saturday. If the United States Championship match is indeed a triple threat, one result could automatically set up a heated match for SummerSlam. Williams has a tough battle ahead of him, but he has an advantage. He knows Hayes and Saints extremely well, as he’s battled both of them in NXT and on the main roster.
Retention should be easy for him, and if that happens, it’ll be an easy way for him to move on from both of them. The reason is that if Carmelo Hayes and Ricky Saints lose, they’ll likely blame each other for the loss. That should definitely be the start of the build for their SummerSlam match. Williams will get a new opponent, while Hayes and Saints are able to fight it out on their own without any championships distracting them.
What Will Happen When Carmelo Hayes and Ricky Saints Face Off?
Friday’s match is a big one in the storyline development for Williams’ Night of Champions match. But what if a disqualification happens, and there is no winner? There’s enough evidence to suggest that Williams will force a triple threat match onto them for next Saturday.
Hayes and Saints, while feuding for the U.S. title, are also feuding with each other. Both of them could realistically do something to cause a disqualification. Williams could also secretly want that, as he publicly yelled at them last Friday because of their infighting.
A retention by him could also automatically set up a SummerSlam match between Carmelo Hayes and Ricky Saints. They could be so focused on taking out each other that they’ll fail to realize that the match is a triple threat. Williams could get the victory without even trying, leading to blaming each other and the SummerSlam match. If a disqualification happens on Friday, it’ll be an easy way to set up a triple threat match at Night of Champions.
