SPOILERS: New Champion Crowned During WWE SmackDown Taping (WWE News)
One of WWE's titles changed hands during a marathon taping for next week's SmackDown.
WWE taped a double helping of SmackDown goodness on 19 December in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On the first episode, Ilja Dragunov teamed with Carmelo Hayes to beat DIY duo Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, but the babyfaces weren't partners later on in the taping.
Spoiler alert, but next week's 26 December edition will feature a surprise title change.
Melo answered Dragunov's United States Title 'Open Challenge' and won the belt from his onscreen ally. Post-match, Ilja strapped the title around Melo's waist, so it appears there won't be any bad blood between them going forwards. This ends Dragunov's own US Title reign at just over 2 months - he beat Sami Zayn to win the gold on 17 October.
The big shock here is that Ilja appeared to be doing good things with the strap. His 'Open Challenge' matches had been regular highlights on SmackDown for months, but it seems Triple H fancies going in a different direction with the midcard prize.
This is also a reward for Carmelo's patience. He's been up and down since moving from NXT to WWE's main roster as part of the 2024 Draft. Hayes had a hot series of matches with Andrade, then formed a tag-team ('Melo Don't Miz') with The Miz. Creative split the pair in early-October.
Naturally, the company filmed Ilja and Hayes vs. DIY first before the title switch later on. It'll be interesting to find out how the live crowd responded to the title changing hands on the night, and to see what WWE has in mind for Melo now he's champ.