Carmelo Hayes set for WWE United States title contender’s tournament

Carmelo Hayes will take part in the WWE United States Championship contender’s tournament. 

As revealed by Shawn Michaels in a video posted to WWE’s social media channels on Sunday, Hayes will be the NXT star facing Grayson Waller in a quarterfinals match on the Friday, December 15 SmackDown episode. 

An NXT star’s inclusion in the tournament had been announced from the outset, but the reveal had not been made until the Michaels video was posted. 

Hayes is coming off a victory over Lexis King at Saturday’s NXT Deadline event. 

Kevin Owens will face Austin Theory in another quarterfinals match on Friday’s SmackDown. On the other side of the bracket, Bobby Lashley and Santos Escobar have already advanced to the semifinals after wins on this past Friday’s episode. 

The tournament winner will challenge United States Champion Logan Paul at a date yet to be announced. Paul defeated Rey Mysterio at last month’s Crown Jewel event to win the US title. 

The updated lineup for SmackDown in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Friday, December 15:

  • Roman Reigns returns
  • US title contender’s tournament: Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory
  • US title contender’s tournament: Grayson Waller vs. Carmelo Hayes
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Ethan Renner
Ethan Renner

An F4WOnline Editor since 2019, Ethan has been covering wrestling and MMA since 2011. He has hosted The Wrestling Life Podcast since 2014, and is a former Baltimore Sun TV/Tribune Media contributor. He is also a Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles fan.