Carmelo Hayes Says He Wants to Move From Open Challenges to Storytelling in His US Title Reign

Carmelo Hayes has been carrying forward the legacy of the United States Open Challenge since capturing the title from Ilja Dragunov last December.

Melo has thus far defended the US Title against Johnny Gargano, Shinsuke Nakamura, Leon Slater, Ilja Dragunov, and Rey Fenix. However, the former NXT talent now wants to return to storytelling and have his colleagues fight their way to earn a championship match instead of getting one through Open Challenges every Friday.

During a recent appearance on the Good Karma Wrestling Podcast, Carmelo Hayes was asked to name the wrestlers he wants to answer the US Championship Open Challenge. In response, Melo cited the hard work that he and Andrade did in 2024 to earn a championship match, adding that he wants those aspiring to get their hands on his title to work their way up.

“To be honest, the Open Challenge is becoming a little bit more. I know people have been saying about storylines; I do want to bring storylines back. I do feel like there is a period where guys have to earn the opportunity to get a title shot. I don’t think people should be able to pull up every Friday and just automatically get a title shot because I didn’t get it. Until the Open Challenge opened, I had to earn one, and it took a lot. If you guys remember, I was battling Andrade freaking every week, just killing ourselves for an opportunity to get an opportunity. So, I’d like to bring that back,” he said.

Check out his comments below:

Elsewhere in the interview, Carmelo Hayes talked about the importance of having The Miz around him during his low times on the main roster. You can check out those comments HERE.

Please credit Good Karma Wrestling and give an H/T to 411Mania for the transcription if you take quotes from this article.