Folks, some wrestlers win with brute force. Others win with skill. But the truly legendary ones? They win with brains and just the right amount of cheating. And that’s exactly what Carmelo Hayes did on SmackDown—channeling the late, great Eddie Guerrero to advance in the WWE US Title No. 1 Contender’s Tournament.
Let’s break it down: Braun Strowman, a literal human freight train, was manhandling Hayes for most of the match. No surprise there—if Strowman gets his hands on you, you’re probably reconsidering your life choices. But just when it looked like the big man had things wrapped up, Tama Tonga and Solo Sikoa decided to inject a little Bloodline business into the equation.
CHAIR SHOTS, DISTRACTIONS, AND A LITTLE LATINO HEAT
Tama Tonga hopped onto the apron to cause chaos, and Solo Sikoa did what Solo Sikoa does best—smash people with chairs. He cracked Strowman across the back, but the problem with attacking a 6’8” monster is that sometimes… he just gets mad.
Strowman grabbed the chair, wrecked Solo, and sent Tonga flying over the announce table like a sack of potatoes. But while the ref was distracted, Hayes saw his moment.
In a move that would make Eddie Guerrero grin from ear to ear, Hayes slammed the chair against the mat, tossed it to Strowman, and fell like he just got sniped from the rafters. The ref turned around, saw Strowman holding the chair, and did what WWE refs do best—make the absolute worst decision possible.
DING DING DING. Disqualification. Hayes wins.
STROWMAN’S RAGE, HAYES’ OPPORTUNITY
Strowman, understandably furious, powerbombed Tama Tonga into another dimension after the match, but the damage was already done. Hayes moves on to the No. 1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match against LA Knight and Jacob Fatu.
If you’re Shinsuke Nakamura, you’ve got three VERY different challengers coming for your title. And after tonight, one thing is clear—Carmelo Hayes doesn’t just win matches. He outsmarts them.