Carmelo Hayes will reportedly be holding another WWE United States Championship open challenge on "SmackDown."

Tommaso Ciampa is officially departing WWE, and his longtime tag team partner Johnny Gargano has reacted to his decision. Earlier this month, BodySlam+ reported that Tommaso Ciampa wasn’t planning to renew his WWE contract.

Johnny Gargano promises to expose a popular WWE star. He claims this star is evil.

Tommaso Ciampa’s WWE exit is bad news for Johnny Wrestling.

The Wyatt Sicks, led by Uncle Howdy, faced a significant setback when they lost the WWE tag team championship to Solo Sikoa’s MFT. This defeat comes after a lackluster title reign, suggesting that the faction may be due for a creative overhaul to regain fan interest.

Carmelo Hayes has been added to Friday’s SmackDown. The show will feature another United States Championship Open Challenge, as Carmelo Hayes will put his title on the line for the fifth week in a row. In 2026 alone, Hayes has successfully defended the title against names like Johnny Gargano, Shinsuke Nakamura, Leon Slater, and Ilja Dragunov.

WWE star Johnny Gargano responds to his long-time tag team partner, rival, and friend Tommaso Ciampa's announcement that he will be leaving WWE

Ciampa answered Mark Briscoe's TNT Championship Open Challenge and will face Briscoe for the title on Saturday at AEW Collision. On Jan. 21, Ciampa announced that his WWE contract was set to expire soon in a post on X.

The WWE SmackDown brand is going to look a little different in the very near future. Tommaso Ciampa announced on Wednesday morning that his contract with WWE is