11 WrestleMania 42 Card Predictions After WWE Royal Rumble 2026

9. 8-Man United States Title Elimination Match

WWE WrestleMania 42 Carmelo Hayes
WWE

Carmelo Hayes started to get it together on the main roster whilst teaming with The Miz. That unit didn't get a sniff of tag gold, but it did set Melo up for an unlikely babyface turn and United States Title win. Since then, the former NXT heel has shows his skills in matches against everyone from Ilja Dragunov and Johnny Gargano to TNA's Leon Slater and Rey Fenix.

WWE will have a lot of stragglers looking for something to do for 'Mania. Sticking as many as possible into a big ol' elimination bout for the US Title could be an idea. Normally, this is when they'd whip out the ladder match trick, but a straight up elimination melee would suffice.

There, Hayes would defend vs. Dragunov, Sami Zayn, LA Knight, Trick Williams, Damian Priest, Randy Orton and Aleister Black. There's even a chance that Jacob Fatu might drop back down to the midcard if he doesn't get involved in the WWE Title scene for longer than a cup of coffee. That'd be a shame for the 'Samoan Werewolf', but not every worker can squeeze into the top line mix at WrestleMania.

Meanwhile, guys like Sami, Knight, Trick, Priest, Orton and Black (his push keeps stalling big time) need a match to call home.

Predicted Winner: Trick Williams. That'd line up a showdown between old buddies turned enemies from NXT. Trick and Melo have already shown how well they work as rivals, so it's time to showcase that on the main roster. Besides, gold on Williams just looks right.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.