Carmelo Hayes was once again at the center of heated fan debate following Friday Night SmackDown, which emanated from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Wrestling in front of a crowd from his home region, Melo came up short against Baron Corbin in a United States Championship match.
Hayes appeared poised to pull off the win after connecting with two First 48s and setting up the Nothing But Net. Corbin knocked him off the top rope, though, and planted him with the End of Days to retain.
The loss only added to the existing frustration surrounding Hayes’ booking. The former NXT Champion captured the United States Championship on December 26, 2025 and held it for 90 days before dropping it to Sami Zayn following interference from Trick Williams. That defeat also cost him a spot at WrestleMania 42.
Months later, Hayes found himself on the outside of another major event. Baron Corbin made his return by interfering in Hayes’ match with Trick Williams, but WWE ultimately only booked Williams vs. Corbin for SummerSlam. At the time, even Corbin publicly agreed that Melo should have been included.
Friday’s loss sparked another wave of backlash from fans:
“Triple H re-hired a wrestler just so Carmelo Hayes can get pinned clean.”
“Melo seriously needs to look elsewhere cause WWE is straight up murdering his entire career.”
Another fan called out the decision to have Hayes lose in Boston specifically, noting that they had expected Corbin to serve as a transitional champion before Melo won the title back.
To make matters worse, Hayes essentially vanished from the story after the match. Trick Williams and Lil Yachty jumped Corbin in a post-match attack, signaling that the United States Championship program may shift back to the former champion.