WWE SmackDown Sees Unexpected Appearance From TNA Champion

Carmelo Hayes ended 2025 on a high note as he became the WWE United States Champion, as he defeated Ilja Dragunov for the title after answering his open challenge.

Sami Zayn brought back the United States Championship Open Challenge that John Cena started a decade ago. Dragunov carried the tradition on from Zayn, and Hayes has been doing so as well.

In just a few weeks of being champion, Hayes has already defended his title against Johnny Gargano and Shinsuke Nakamura. He hosted another open challenge tonight, which was answered by a surprise opponent.

Carmelo Hayes retains the WWE United States Championship

TNA X-Division Champion, Leon Slater, answered Carmelo’s open challenge to a huge cheer from the London crowd. Slater, being from England himself, had the crowd behind him as they cheered him on throughout the match.

He has been wrestling semi-regularly on WWE NXT and recently challenged Oba Femi for the NXT Championship. He made his main roster debut during John Cena’s retirement show in a tag team match against AJ Styles and Dragon Lee.

Tonight marked his debut on the blue brand as he put in an exceptional performance against the United States Champion. He looked to win the belt from Hayes with a huge superplex, but Melo reversed it into a cutter from the top rope to retain the title.

Make TJR Wrestling your choice for news by clicking here.