Sami Zayn Dethrones Carmelo Hayes To Win US Title And Secure WrestleMania Match
On Friday night at WrestleMania 42, Sami Zayn secured his spot on The Main Event card by defeating WWE United States Champion Carmelo Hayes in an open challenge during the March 27 episode of SmackDown. After a prolonged slump that had led General Manager Nick Aldis to deny him any initial booking for April's biggest show due to recent form issues, Zayn overcame interference from Trick Williams—who punched and distracted champion—before executing his signature Helluva Kick to capture the title on 3/27 in Pittsburgh with help.
Key Points
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1Sami Zayn defeated Carmelo Hayes in an open challenge on WWE SmackDown to win his second United States Championship.
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2Trick Williams interfered during the match by punching Carmelo Hayes, which contributed directly to Zayn's victory via a Helluva Kick finisher.
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3Despite GM Nick Aldis initially denying him entry into WrestleMania 42 due to recent slumps and lack of booking plans for March/April matches.
Developments
On March 27, frustrated by being denied another US Title opportunity after missing his WWE Championship shot against Carmelo Hayes on SmackDown in a match that ended with Williams interfering to steal and then attack him while he was distracted. The referee eventually allowed Zayn the title back inside the ring so Sami could defend it at WrestleMania 42, having previously punched Trick for mocking Aldis's decision regarding his own chance
Sami Zayn defeated Carmelo Hayes on WWE SmackDown by capitalizing on commentary man Trick Williams' interference, earning the United States Championship and a WrestleMania 42 match. Jelly Roll also secured his first-ever win in an NXT/Smackdown-style bout against Kit Wilson with a chokeslam after Danhausen's curse attempt went unnoticed during pin attempts.
After being told he would not be booked for a match at Wrestlemania 42 due to his slump, Sami Zayn defeated United States Champion Carmelo Hayes and won the title. GM Nick Aldis immediately confirmed that this victory earned him an immediate defense against Trick Williams on April's main event card despite earlier rumors of no booking plans involving both men in March.
On March 27 at a WWE Smackdown episode in which Trick Williams threw Sami Zayn's United States Championship into the ring to distract him from Carmelo Hayes' open challenge, Zain won his title by landing a Helluva Kick. This victory occurred despite General Manager Nick Aldis previously informing Zayne that he did not have an upcoming WrestleMania match card spot and promising instead for future opportunities on Smackdown's main event schedule later in the night