Randy Orton segment added to WWE SmackDown

Randy Orton | WWE
Image: WWE (Image credit: WWE)

Update —

WWE has announced that Randy Orton will kick off the show tonight following his victory at Elimination Chamber. With that win, Orton earned the right to challenge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. Current champion Drew McIntyre is defending the title against Cody Rhodes in tonight’s main event.

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Carmelo Hayes will be back with another United States title open challenge on WWE SmackDown tonight.

One week after retaining against Zack Ryder, WWE has announced that Hayes will defend the U.S. Championship again in an open challenge on tonight’s SmackDown. Hayes has faced Johnny Gargano, Shinsuke Nakamura, Leon Slater, Ilja Dragunov, Rey Fenix, and Cardona during his reign, which is now approaching the 80-day mark.

“Tonight, Carmelo Hayes will once again host a United States Title Open Challenge,” WWE.com wrote. “Who will answer the challenge this week? Find out tonight at 8 ET/7 CT on SmackDown on USA.”

Hayes won the U.S. title from Ilja Dragunov in December 2025 and has continued the open challenge tradition that was set by Dragunov and Sami Zayn. During his reign, Hayes is hoping to bring more storylines back to the title.

Tonight’s SmackDown is the Elimination Chamber fallout edition of the show. It’s being held in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center.

WWE SmackDown (Friday, March 6) —

  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against Cody Rhodes
  • Rhea Ripley appears ahead of her WrestleMania 42 match against WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill
  • Carmelo Hayes United States Championship open challenge
  • Gauntlet-style match to decide new number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team titles
  • Nia Jax & Lash Legend WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship celebration
  • Randy Orton kicks off the episode
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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

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.