Carmelo Hayes teases a SmackDown appearance of WWE NXT star

As seen during the January 2nd 2026 edition of WWE SmackDown Carmelo Hayes successfully made his first defense of the United States Championship by defeating Johnny Gargano. Gargano was accompanied by Candice LeRae, who attempted to get involved, but Hayes still picked up the victory.

After the match, Gargano teased a rematch by sharing a photo on Twitter/X and writing, “Coming back for you.” Hayes responded by welcoming the idea of another match…

“This was an NXT dream match and I actually got a lil bit of respect for you. We can run it back whenever, leave your wife in the back…or I can make a call and we can even it out.”

WWE NXT star Kelani Jordan, Hayes’ real-life fiance, reacted to the exchange with “👀😏.”

This was an NXT dream match and I actually got a lil bit of respect for you.

We can run it back whenever, leave your wife in the back…or I can make a call and we can even it out 👀 https://t.co/EDbOdfHww5

— Carmelo Hayes (@Carmelo_WWE) January 4, 2026