Carmelo Hayes won the U.S. Championship from Ilja Dragunov on the Christmas episode of SmackDown. Ever since that title change, Hayes has been a fighting champion with open challenges, retaining the title against the likes of Johnny Gargano, Rey Fenix, Leon Slater, Shinsuke Nakamura, and The Miz. As WWE approaches WrestleMania 42, here are three major threats to Hayes’ title reign.
Trick Williams
Trick Williams is the ideal candidate to dethrone Carmelo Hayes for the U.S. Title due to the history he has with Hayes. They were originally known as Trick Melo Gang in NXT and soon became the best rivals since the days of DIY and Bayley and Sasha Banks. Since he just got called up to the main roster, he would make a major statement with a U.S. Title victory to kick off his trajectory to the top.
Since Hayes is not involved in a personal feud with anyone and has been battling the entire mid-card in open challenges, Hayes will likely defend the title in a ladder match at Mania. Williams will have to use those Lemon Pepper Steppers to add more pep to his step when he is climbing the ladder to grab the U.S. Title. It’ll also be easy for him to gloat in front of his former pal’s face for the heel heat.
