After shockingly beating Carmelo Hayes for the United States Championship, WWE Superstar Sami Zayn thanked his fans amid the controversial decision.
Zayn took to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, Mar. 29, 2026, to talk about his “tumultuous” journey to becoming United States Champion for the second time.
“Big thank you to my fans. These past few months especially have been tumultuous, and you’ve had my back when times were tough,” Zayn wrote. “Now we are heading to Wrestlemania together, and I am walking in as a champion. Lots of love -SZ”
Big thank you to my fans. These past few months especially have been tumultuous, and you’ve had my back when times were tough.
Now we are heading to Wrestlemania together, and I am walking in as a champion. Lots of love -SZ pic.twitter.com/tXYFe9EL6D— Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) March 30, 2026
Zayn beat Hayes during the Mar. 27 edition of SmackDown, ending his first United States Championship reign after over 90 days. He answered Hayes' open challenge for the title during SmackDown.
The match ended in controversial fashion. Trick Williams, Hayes' former rival, was sitting at ringside during the match. He tried to interfere and hit Zayn. However, Zayn ducked, causing Hayes to get hit. This set him up for a Helluva Kick from Zayn, which sealed the victory for him.
Fans are made at Sami Zayn after he beat Carmelo Hayes for the WWE United States Championship
Fans flooded Zayn's comments section with negativity. They were upset that Zayn beat Hayes to win the United States Championship just a few weeks before WrestleMania.
One fan wrote, “Sami, with all due respect[,] I like you man but Melo deserves better.” Another fan was even more blunt, saying, “Ain't nobody wanted you to win that s**t respectfully.”
A different X user demanded Zayn “give Melo his title back,” and someone else accused him of “hogging up the spotlight,” saying he is “overrated” and his push “seems forced.”
Like the decision or not, WWE decided to give Zayn the United States Championship again. All signs point to him defending the title against Williams at WrestleMania 42.
