Last time in action: Dragunov defeated JD McDonagh (SD, Nov. 12), Hayes lost to Gunther (Raw, Nov. 24)
Dragunov’s run of open challenges for the United States Championship continued this week when he put the belt on the line against Hayes.
Most of the people The Mad Dragon has faced in these open challenges have not felt like they had a chance to beat him. Hayes is the first one who has had success over him in the past, so it created a more interesting dynamic.
Hayes wasn’t intimidated. He was his usual cocky self, which is exactly what he needed to be for this to be as good as it was. They didn’t hold back and got right into the action as soon as the bell rang.
These are two guys who are both great at what they do, so having them in the first match was practically guaranteed the start the show on a high note. Dragunov has been SmackDown’s strongest performer since he returned, but Hayes might have shone a bit brighter here.
Unfortunately for him, Tommaso Ciampa tripped him on the top rope while the ref was distracted, allowing the champion to hit his finisher to retain the title. Once Dragunov found out what happened, he had a crazed look in his eyes. He is definitely going to take out his anger on Ciampa when they finally meet.
Result: Dragunov defeated Hayes
Notable Moments and Observations
