Kelani Jordan Expresses How Proud She Is Of Carmelo Hayes For Winning WWE United States Title

Jordan speaks about her significant other.

It was on the December 26th episode of Friday Night SmackDown that Carmelo Hayes defeated Ilja Dragunov to become the new WWE United States Champion.

Hayes’ victory was discussed by his fiancée and current NXT talent Kelani Jordan. She expressed how proud she is of Hayes while on No-Contest Wrestling.

“I’m so proud of him… I don’t wanna say I’m biased but, really, honestly, he’s such a great person. He works really hard. I’ve never seen someone more passionate about this business and what he does. He studies all the time, he works hard, he’s in the gym. He sometimes even does extra ring with me, not only to help me, but just to make sure he’s in shape for his matches when he doesn’t really need to be. He’s in great shape. So I’m just super proud of him because I wanna say he never — it wasn’t handed to him. He definitely earned it and I feel like he definitely paid his dues, and of course his talent speaks for itself but, he has a genuine heart and so, I’m super proud of him.”

Hayes’ first televised title defense was against Johnny Gargano on the first SmackDown of 2026. It was a successful defense.

If the quote in this article is used, please credit No-Contest Wrestling with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription.