Carmelo Hayes Shuts Down Rumors About U.S. Title Loss

Carmelo Hayes is setting the record straight after losing the United States Championship — and he’s not buying the rumors that quickly spread online.

Following his title loss on the March 27 episode of SmackDown, speculation started circulating that Hayes dropped the championship due to personal reasons, including claims that he was preparing for his wedding with Kelani Jordan. But now, Hayes himself has directly addressed those rumors.

Speaking on the Battleground podcast on April 1, 2026, Hayes made it clear that the wedding had nothing to do with the title change — and that people ran way too far with the story.

“The wedding is in October, everybody. I mean, we’ve got SmackDown on Friday — I think that’ll be a more appropriate platform to kind of address what’s going on.”

While he didn’t go into full detail about WWE’s plans, Hayes admitted the loss hit him hard and made it clear how much the title meant to him.

“I mean, I’m heartbroken that I’m not champ anymore. That was something I took a lot of pride in. We’ll see what’s on the table for WrestleMania. But as far as that goes, SmackDown is probably the appropriate place for that.”

Carmelo Hayes then directly called out the online speculation, urging people not to treat every rumor as fact — especially in a fast-moving environment where narratives can quickly spiral.

“Please don’t believe everything you read on the internet, bro. Please don’t believe it. I try not to get too deep into it where I feel like I need to clear everything up, just because of how fast things can take off. But I see how quickly something can turn into the truth if you don’t stop it.”

Hayes also singled out one rumor in particular — the idea that he lost the title just to go on a honeymoon — and made it clear he found it ridiculous. Still, he ended things on a lighter note while reinforcing his priorities.

“Like the honeymoon thing — I was really surprised by that. I was like, really? People think I’m losing my title to go on a honeymoon? Out of all the things they could say, that’s why? I love my girl, I do — but she knows, she would understand.”

Before this, the conversation centered around Hayes being left off the WrestleMania title picture after a strong run as champion. But now, he’s changing the narrative himself — making it clear the decision had nothing to do with his personal life and everything to do with WWE’s direction. With SmackDown coming up, Hayes has already teased that more answers could be on the way — and it sounds like he’s far from done making his case.

Do you think Carmelo Hayes should be added back into the WrestleMania title picture after everything he did as champion, or is it time for a fresh direction? Drop your thoughts below and leave your feedback.