US title open challenge set for WWE SmackDown
Friday’s WWE SmackDown episode in London will see Carmelo Hayes make his third defense of the United States Championship.
WWE has confirmed that Hayes will have another open challenge on SmackDown this week, defending his belt against a yet-to-be-named opponent. Hayes became champion by defeating Ilja Dragunov at the end of 2025 and has already defeated Johnny Gargano and Shinsuke Nakamura during his reign.
Since Sami Zayn won the title in August 2025, United States Championship open challenges have been a regular fixture on SmackDown. Dragunov continued the tradition during his reign, with Hayes now picking up the mantle.
This is the first title that Hayes has held since being called up to the WWE main roster.
OVO Arena Wembley is hosting Friday’s SmackDown. Outside of the United States, the show will air live on Netflix. It will then be broadcast on USA Network in SmackDown’s regular time slot.
WWE SmackDown (Friday, January 16) —
- New WWE Champion Drew McIntyre appears
- SNME number one contendership qualifying match: Randy Orton vs. The Miz
- SNME number one contendership qualifying match: Solo Sikoa vs. Damian Priest
- SNME number one contendership qualifying match: Matt Cardona vs. Trick Williams
- SNME number one contendership qualifying match: Sami Zayn vs. Ilja Dragunov
- Carmelo Hayes United States Championship open challenge
The four qualifying match winners advance to a four-way bout at Saturday Night’s Main Event on January 24, which will determine McIntyre’s WWE Championship challenger for the Royal Rumble.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.