A WWE champion has called their recent opponent a legend, following their latest title defence on Friday Night SmackDown.
Carmelo Hayes made his second televised defence of the US Championship on the January 9 SmackDown episode, once again holding an open challenge.
Shinsuke Nakamura answered the call, and dominated much of the match before Hayes was able to reverse the momentum and retain his gold.
Carmelo Hayes has taken to Twitter to show respect to Nakamura, writing:
Legend 🤝 @ShinsukeN
Hayes became WWE US Champion in a match which aired on the December 26, 2026 SmackDown episode, defeating Ilja Dragunov to win the gold.
Carmelo Hayes vs Shinsuke Nakamura was one of three championship matches which took place on SmackDown, with Giulia defending the Women’s US Title against Alexa Bliss, and Drew McIntyre winning the Undisputed WWE Championship from Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match.
Matt Cardona has reacted to Cody Rhodes losing the WWE Championship, which you can read more about right here.
Details have emerged on plans for Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship challenger for Royal Rumble, click here to read more.
Legend 🤝 @ShinsukeN pic.twitter.com/jIOH2aeka8
— Carmelo Hayes (@Carmelo_WWE) January 10, 2026
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