NXT star Carmelo Hayes is ready for a showdown with former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens in the United States Championship tournament.
Hayes had a glorious debut on the December 15 episode of SmackDown as he bested former NXT rival Grayson Waller in a Round 1 matchup in the US title tournament. He hit his unique Nothing But Net leg drop on Waller for an impressive win.
NXT star Carmelo Hayes is ready for a showdown with former WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens in the United States Championship tournament.
Hayes had a glorious debut on the December 15 episode of SmackDown as he bested former NXT rival Grayson Waller in a Round 1 matchup in the US title tournament. He hit his unique Nothing But Net leg drop on Waller for an impressive win.
WWE correspondent Kayla Braxton caught up with Hayes on SmackDown Lowdown this week. The former NXT Champion mentioned that he was ready for Kevin Owens and would not be backing down to the veteran.
He detailed that several stars may be intimidated by The Prizefighter, but he wasn’t one of them.
“I’m glad. I got to talk to Kevin for a second and just let him know that I’m not that guy. There’s so many guys around here that probably walk on eggshells around Kevin Owens but I’m not gonna be one of them. I’m Carmelo Hayes. I am a former NXT Champion just like Kevin Owens. And on top of that, I am HIM. One thing I won’t do is bow down or back down from anybody.” [From 0:38 – 0:55]
Carmelo Hayes met Kevin Owens backstage
Despite having one healthy hand, Owens still managed to pick up the win over Austin Theory this week. With that, KO also advanced to the semi-finals of the US title tournament.
After the match, Carmelo met with Owens backstage. He told the veteran that he had immense respect for him. However, Hayes made it clear that he was a different beast and would not be easily taken down when they eventually meet in the ring next week.
Set for #SmackDown next week:
— Carmelo Hayes v Kevin Owens for the first time ever (U.S Title Tournament)
— 8-Woman Tag Match
— Dragon Lee v Butch (NXT North American Title)
— Bobby Lashley v Santos Escobar (U.S Title Tournament) pic.twitter.com/ImKvrbt2MA— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) December 16, 2023
On the other bracket, the dominant Bobby Lashley will face Santos Escobar for a place in the finals.
It will be interesting to see which SmackDown star will emerge as the final challenger for Logan Paul and his United States Championship.
What are your thoughts on the United States Championship Tournament? Sound off in the comments section below.