This Friday, WWE SmackDown will broadcast live from the OVO Arena in Wembley, Greater London, England, showcasing a highly anticipated WWE SmackDown title match. The event will center around the WWE United States Championship open challenge, a tradition recently revived by the current champion Carmelo Hayes, promising fans an exciting contest on the ongoing Europe Tour.
Since winning the United States Championship in late August 2025 by defeating Solo Sikoa, Sami Zayn initiated a series of open challenges to defend the title. Following Zayn, Ilja Dragunov took up the mantle by continuing the open challenge legacy after besting Zayn. Carmelo Hayes, as the current titleholder, has upheld this tradition with his third open challenge set for this week’s SmackDown, further elevating the excitement leading into the event.
Legacy and Impact of the United States Championship Open Challenge
The concept of the open challenge was popularized by John Cena in 2015, when he secured the United States Title from Rusev at WrestleMania 31. Cena’s open challenges became a staple on the blue brand, showcasing fierce competition against top-tier wrestlers and raising the profile of the championship. His final opponent in this series, Alberto Del Rio, claimed the belt in late October of that year, but the open challenge format had already made a lasting impact.
A younger Sami Zayn benefited from this exposure, competing against Cena and later reviving the open challenge on the same platform before Cena’s retirement from active competition on SmackDown. Their match, which concluded in a no-contest, marked the start of Zayn’s high-energy title defenses against formidable opponents such as Fey Fenix, Carmelo Hayes, Je’Von Evans, Aleister Black, and Shinsuke Nakamura. Zayn eventually lost the title to Ilja Dragunov, who carried on the tradition.
Continuing the Tradition with Carmelo Hayes and the Future of the Title
Ilja Dragunov, known as The Mad Dragon, maintained the open challenge streak with standout bouts against prominent stars like Black, Nathan Frazer, Johnny Gargano, Axiom, JD McDonagh, and Tommaso Ciampa. Despite a valiant effort, Dragunov was eventually bested by Carmelo Hayes, who had to overcome a rocky start in his encounters with Dragunov to claim the championship convincingly.
Following his predecessors’ lead, Carmelo Hayes strives to keep the open challenge tradition alive, successfully defending the title against Johnny Gargano and Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown. With the next challenge underway at Wembley, questions remain about who will step up next to face Hayes and potentially trigger another thrilling title change during this Europe Tour stop.
As WWE SmackDown returns to London for one of its most awaited title matches, fans can expect another memorable chapter in the legacy of the United States Championship, with implications for the promotion’s direction and momentum heading into the remainder of the season.
Carmelo Hayes will be holding another United States Championship open challenge tomorrow on #SmackDown! pic.twitter.com/BQlU8FGaq7
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) January 15, 2026
