Nowadays, after Unreal, it's harder than ever to figure out if a WWE injury is real or fake, as fans learned when former United States Champion Carmelo Hayes faced Sami Zayn for the title on Friday Night SmackDown.
At one point in the match, Hayes did a flip onto Zayn, who was standing outside of the ring. He appeared to land more on his right leg, but he immediately began writhing in pain and favoring his left leg.
The exact moment Carmelo Hayes got injured during the main event on SmackDown, all plans went out the window. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/Q2XKoDk8dW
— Grant, of r/REALSquaredCircle (@Graannt) April 4, 2026
Throughout the rest of the match, Hayes continued favoring his left leg. This resulted in him losing the match, as the referee checked on Hayes at one point before Zayn hit a Helluva Kick and pinned him.
Initially, it did appear serious. Hayes even hit a frog splash at one point, with most of the impact going onto his knees, and it appeared he was hurt. However, fans are convinced it is all a “work,” or part of the storyline.
“The impact was on his right knee he is nursing the left one,” one fan observed on X, formerly Twitter, doubling down, “Work, work, work.”
Another X user pointed out that Hayes “landed badly on one leg and grabbed the other.” So, they were convinced that “that was the plan.”
Some fans weren't convinced it was a “work.” One wrote, “Serves him right, stop doing those dumb ass high spots that give zero reward in 2026.”
Is WWE star Carmelo Hayes' injury real?
Ultimately, this knee injury came a couple of weeks before WrestleMania 42. This gives WWE an easy way out of booking Hayes for the card if he is injured in storyline.
After all, fans have not been happy since he lost the United States Championship. Zayn is now set to defend the title against Trick Williams, Hayes' former rival, at WrestleMania 42.
It's unknown if WWE intends to insert Hayes into the match to make it a triple threat. Hayes and Zayn agreed that if Zayn retained, Hayes wouldn't have a WrestleMania 42 spot.
