After winning the United States Championship at the end of 2025, Carmelo Hayes has quickly established himself as a fighting champion by continuing the open challenge on Friday Night SmackDown.
Since starting his reign, Hayes has overcome the likes of Rey Fenix, Shinsuke Nakamura, Johnny Gargano and Leon Slater to retain his gold.
This opens up the question of who could be next to answer the open challenge on Friday nights and might be the one to dethrone Melo.
Here are 10 potential next Carmelo Hayes WWE US Title Open Challenge SmackDown opponents.
10. Ilja Dragunov
On the January 23 edition of SmackDown, Carmelo Hayes defeated Ilja Dragunov to retain the United States Championship.
This victory came due to outside interference from The Miz costing Dragunov his rematch for the title.
On the following week’s January 30 episode, Dragunov let it be known that he planned on challenging Hayes for the gold once again.
After his win over The Miz later in that show, “The Mad Dragon” should be next up to challenge Melo for the US Title and answer the open challenge that he helped elevate during his reign.
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9. The Miz
The Miz has been a thorn in the side of Carmelo Hayes dating back to their tentative partnership with one another in early 2025.
“The A Lister” got involved in Hayes’ match against Ilja Dragunov on the January 23 Friday Night SmackDown and only drew more ire from the reigning United States Champion.
While the two men have been interacting backstage, The Miz has yet to answer the US Title Open Challenge as of yet.
Despite losing to Dragunov on the January 30 episode, The Miz could skip the line and be the next opponent for Hayes for the United States Championship.
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8. Tama Tonga
Over the past few months, WWE has been teasing Tama Tonga’s desire for the United States Championship.
Often seen watching the US Title Open Challenge, Tonga has confronted previous champions like Ilja Dragunov and made it be known that his sights were on the gold.
While Tama has captured the WWE Tag Team Championships alongside Solo Sikoa, it is obvious the former NJPW star wants to get his hands on a singles title.
Tama Tonga answering the US Title Open Challenge would be a massive opportunity for him to stand out on his own in a major way.
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7. La Parka
At WWE Royal Rumble 2026, Lucha Libre AAA’s La Parka made his main roster debut in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
While his stint in the match was not long, La Parka got an immense spotlight that put him in front of a new audience.
WWE could continue the ascension of Parka as a star by having him answer the United States Championship Open Challenge.
Having Carmelo Hayes face La Parka will give both talents an opportunity to put a significant spotlight on them on Friday Night SmackDown.
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6. Keanu Carver
Since Oba Femi vacated the NXT Championship on the January 6 New Year’s Evil special of WWE NXT, the brand has undergone an overhaul with new stars being featured.
Among the biggest names that has gotten an increased focus on the brand is Keanu Carver.
Using his unbridled rage and intensity to stand out, Carver has become someone that seems ready to be catapulted to a top spot on NXT.
Carver answering the US Title Open Challenge against Carmelo Hayes might be a wonderful way to escalate his ascent up the ladder on WWE NXT.
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5. Ethan Page
Since signing with WWE in 2024, Ethan Page has cemented himself among the biggest names on the NXT roster today.
“All Ego” is a former NXT Champion, while now holding the NXT North American and AAA Mixed Tag Team Championships.
While he has been prominently featured on WWE NXT, Page has yet to be spotlighted on the main roster.
Page is someone that needs to be brought up and could be such a formidable opponent for Carmelo Hayes with the United States Championship up for grabs.
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4. Royce Keys
At WWE Royal Rumble 2026, former AEW star Powerhouse Hobbs made his debut with the company as Royce Keys during the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
Keys had a strong showing during the match and has been reportedly rumored to be part of the Friday Night SmackDown roster moving forward.
With his size and strength, the former AEW World Trios Champion is someone who could immediately make an impact in WWE.
Keys answering Carmelo Hayes’ United States Championship Open Challenge would instantly position him with a chance to capture gold in WWE from day one.
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3. Ricky Saints
Making his WWE debut in February 2025, Ricky Saints has played a substantial role on the NXT brand.
It did not take long at all for Saints to capture the NXT North American Championship just one month after his arrival.
Then at WWE NXT No Mercy 2025, Saints became one of the few stars to pick up a win over Oba Femi to win the NXT Championship.
Saints getting his first appearance on the main roster by answering Carmelo Hayes’ US Title Open Challenge would be huge and allow him to be introduced to a bigger audience in a noteworthy moment.
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2. Trick Williams
Since arriving on the WWE main roster, Trick Williams has positioned himself as a main event player on Friday Night SmackDown.
Interacting with Sami Zayn, Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes, Williams has felt at home on the blue brand.
After competing in the number one contenders four-way match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, it feels like fans will not have to wait long before Williams wins championship gold on the main roster.
Considering his history with Carmelo Hayes, Trick feels like the perfect option to not only answer the United States Championship Open Challenge, but to also dethrone his former tag team partner for the gold sometime soon.
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1. Chad Gable
At the WWE Royal Rumble 2026 premium live event, “The Original” El Grande Americano made his return to confront the other El Grande Americano during the Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
While it seems like the Original El Grande is on Monday Night Raw, fans could see someone who has been rumored to be under the mask make his way to SmackDown.
Carmelo Hayes could face any number of returning stars during one of his United States Championship Open Challenge, but there might not be a better option on the level of Chad Gable.
After chasing an elusive singles title in the company for over a decade now, it feels like the right time for Gable to win some gold and could be the one to defeat Hayes for the US Title if he were the next opponent for the Open Challenge.
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