A WWE star has commented after defending his championship against an AAA star in their SmackDown debut on this week’s show.
With US Champion Carmelo Hayes holding another open challenge, the March 6 SmackDown episode saw El Hijo de Dr Wagner Jr answer the champion’s call.
With Hayes ultimately victorious, the US Champion has taken to Twitter to send a message to his latest challenger.
Carmelo Hayes wrote:
Open challenge for a reason. Always a challenge. 7 defenses, 6 first time ever matches. And still USA Champion
Shout out Wagner Jr. Thank you amigo. Great fight 🙏🏾
Hayes won the US Championship from Ilja Dragunov in a match which aired on the December 26, 2025 SmackDown episodes.
Since then, he has defended his gold on WWE TV against Johnny Gargano, Shinsuke Nakamura, Leon Slater, Dragunov in a rematch, Rey Fenix, Matt Cardona, and now El Hijo de Dr Wagner Jr.
The most recent challenger has been a mainstay for AAA under WWE, with the current AAA Latin American Champion having competed on NXT several times, and defending his gold against the likes of Ethan Page, Dragon Lee and JD McDonagh.
An update has emerged on AAA stars signing new contracts with WWE, click here to read more.
Open challenge for a reason. Always a challenge. 7 defenses, 6 first time ever matches. And still US A Champion 🫡
Shout out Wagner Jr. Thank you amigo. Great fight 🙏🏾
— Carmelo Hayes (@Carmelo_WWE) March 7, 2026
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