Carmelo Hayes picked up the biggest win of his WWE main roster career last night on SmackDown, when he defeated Ilja Dragunov to become the Men's United States Champion.
Dragunov was scheduled to host another open challenge, but instead he gave the opportunity to Hayes after Tommaso Ciampa cost him the title a few weeks back.
After both men put together another barnburner for the crowd in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Carmelo was able to close out the match by countering a coast-to-coast dive attempt by Dragonuv with a First 48.
He then went up to the top rope himself and nailed the Nothing But Net move to win the championship.
This is the first time that Melo has won a singles title in over two years, and it was his first ever championship victory as a member of the SmackDown roster.
Source: The Takedown
