Spoiler: Title Change At WWE SmackDown Tapings
WWE taped the December 26th episode of WWE SmackDown on December 19 from Grand Rapids, MI.
During the tapings, a title change occurred.
Read below if you want to be spoiled.
Carmelo Hayes became the new WWE United States Champion during the December 26 SmackDown taping, defeating Ilja Dragunov.
SMACKDOWN SPOILERS
it won’t air for a week but holy shit Ilja vs Carmelo was the best match i’ve seen in a LONG TIME#smackdown #wwe pic.twitter.com/AZs3tuVTAO
— Joey (@joeyeinberger) December 20, 2025
Dragunov once again held a US Title Open Challenge, which was answered by Hayes. It was the second time Hayes has answered Dragunov’s open challenge. He previously answered the challenge on the December 5th episode of SmackDown.
This is the first reign as US Champion for Hayes.
Hayes and Dragunov teamed on the December 19th episode of SmackDown, defeating DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa).
Fans can find results from Friday’s SmackDown by clicking here.
