Kevin Owens sends message to Carmelo Hayes after WWE US title win
Kevin Owens has commented on Carmelo Hayes winning the United States Championship on WWE SmackDown.
Hayes defeated Ilja Dragunov for the title in a match taped on December 19 that aired on the December 26 episode. After the match, Hayes responded to a WWE post featuring a clip of his title win, writing:
“Craziest feeling ever , I felt the people lift me to top rope, can’t even explain it.”
Owens responded to Hayes’ comment, writing:
“Special moment. Well-deserved moment. Congrats, man!”
Shane Helms responded to Owens, “Deserved and earned!!”
The United States Championship win marked Hayes’ first title on WWE’s main roster. He previously won the 2025 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and is a former NXT Champion, NXT Cruiserweight Champion, and two-time NXT North American Champion.
Owens underwent neck surgery in July. He made a public appearance at a NASCAR event the following month and spoke about his hopes of returning to the ring in 2026.
“Fingers crossed, I get to come back to wrestling in the next year. I really don’t know. My goal is to come back, so hopefully that happens,” Owens said.
According to a report from PWInsider earlier this month, Owens is also set for a role on the next season of WWE LFG.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.