SmackDown star subtly confirms WWE championship is set to be changed

WWE has been modifying the look of almost all of its championship belts to give them an elite appearance. Interestingly, it seems like Triple H and the Stamford-based promotion could give the United States Championship another makeover, as teased by Carmelo Hayes.

A fan tweet on X reminded Melo that he had promised to bring back the spinner version of the United States Championship whenever he won the title. Last week, the 33-year-old defeated Ilja Dragunov to become the new US Champ and earn his first main roster belt.

While Carmelo Hayes didn’t say anything in response, he tweeted back a devil emoji, hinting that the spinner edition of the US Title could indeed be brought back during his run.

Interestingly, the spinner variant of the title was first introduced by John Cena back in 2004. Hayes also hails from Cena’s state, Massachusetts, and sees The Never Seen 17 as his idol. Thus, it is likely that he may add to the recently retired GOAT’s legacy by bringing the spinner belt back in WWE.

Carmelo Hayes got attacked on WWE SmackDown

Right after Carmelo Hayes secured his first-ever main roster championship, he gave an impromptu backstage interview to Cathy Kelley. The 33-year-old was thanking Ilja Dragunov for elevating the title and for letting him compete for it fairly when he got ambushed by Johnny Gargano.

The DIY member yelled at Melo, accusing him of ruining everything, and also laid his claim on the United States Championship. Notably, Gargano had also fought Dragunov in a title match when the former champ asked him to step up for the open challenge instead of his teammate Tommaso Ciampa.

However, this is the first time the former WWE Tag Team Champion has shown an active interest in winning the belt for himself. Thus, as Melo enters 2026 as the new champ, he already seems to have a target on his back. It would be interesting to see if Gargano would be Hayes’ first title defense opponent.

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Edited by Sanchari Bhattacharya