Though the show may have been pre-taped, as Green Bay, Wisconsin, didn't land two straight SmackDown tapings in a row, it's hard to argue anyone had a better pre-Christmas showing on the Blue Brand than the “Prize Fighter” himself, Kevin Owens.

From beating up on Austin Theory, his favorite punchable face on the roster, to getting to test his mettle against one of the hottest young guns in the WWE Universe, Carmelo Hayes, KO is just one win over Santos Escobar away from earning another shot at the United States Championship, a belt he hasn't worn since all the way back in July of 2017.

Sitting down with Kayla Braxton for a special conversation after the show, Owens had some pretty strong words for his potentially ImPaulsive foe, but not before taking a chance to put over Hayes for his impressive efforts in the ring.

“Look, Carmelo Hayes is a fantastic professional wrestler, okay, let me say this. And, you know, I remember when he told me that I wasn't going to ‘little bro' him? You were right there. I still don't know what that means. I don't know if I ‘little bro'd' him in this match. Didn't feel like it. If anything, it felt like he was ‘little bro-ing' me. Really gave me a run for my money. Carmelo, I'm sure we'll see each other soon, again and again, and again for probably a really long time,” Kevin Owens told Kayla Braxton in a special WWE digital exclusive.

“But with that said, next is Santos Escobar. Like you said, another guy I've never wrestled before. I'm looking forward to that. I love new challenges, I love new faces to punch, right? And then, once I go through Santos, the ultimate face to punch is Logan Paul. You know what he's been doing to the US Title since he won it? Just repulsive. Just gross. You know, he's a man of very low moral fiber, right? I can't wait to take that title back, put it in my bathtub, and I'm not going to take a bath with it like he took a shower but I'm going to put so much Clorox, hand sanitizer, whatever is needed to clean that thing. Then I will take it and I will restore the prestige it deserves. And that's about it, that's my plan.

“Logan Paul, do you think you're the only one around here taking showers? Take a look. Watch the water trickle down my face, it's so cold. It's really cold, but not as cold as you will be once I'm done with you and the title's not around your waist anymore. And then you can go bathe yourself in your stupid drink that you keep peddling that nobody really wants – that's not true, I hear he's doing great business with it. My son drinks it, but it's okay. Either way, I'm taking your title, then you can console yourself with all the money you get from your stupid drinks.”

Dang, KO was as critical of Paul as he was complimentary of Hayes, a sign of a veteran wrestler who still has impeccable taste when it comes to young, ascending talents. Though only time will tell if KO's premonition that he will win the United States Championship will come to fruition, one thing that is safe to say is that he will 100 percent be sharing the ring with Hayes in the future, assuming, of course, he re-signs with the company when his contract comes due.

Carmelo Hayes has nothing but love for Kevin Owens, too.

Before catching a flight back to Orlando ahead of the first live WWE show after Christmas, NXT, Carmelo Hayes also stopped by the backstage area of SmackDown for his own interview with Kayla Braxton, who was fresh off her conversation with KO.

Discussing his perspective on his match with the “Prize Fighter,” Hayes thanked the do-it-all babyface for his efforts and for helping to sharpen his iron during his SmackDown vacation.

“I mean, more than anything I wanted to come to SmackDown to work with the pros. Nothing against NXT, but there's just a level of experience that you can't get anywhere else on SmackDown and RAW, and I needed that to up my game. I always talk about how I want to get to the next level and create a level of my own working with guys like Kevin Owens, one of the best to do it in this business, really just up me another level. So I can hang my hat high on that and say that I hung toe-to-toe with Kevin Owens and I'm at a level that I'm at a level that I wasn't at before I came here to SmackDown,” Carmelo Hayes told Kayla Braxton.

“More than anything, like I said to him straight up, I said, ‘Hey, I got respect for you' and, you know, I didn't think about it going into it but I wanted to gain his respect too walking out, and he gave me the handshake at the end and that meant more to me than I think he probably realized and I think the fans kind of now look at me a little different. So for that, Kevin Owens, I appreciate you and I'm absolutely game to go against you anytime, any day, and we'll tear it up one more time.”

Asked by Braxton what his future holds, Hayes let it be known that he's excited about 2024, as no matter where he ends up wrestling, he will continue to get better with each passing match.

“Man, I said it, this year I capped it off on such a high, so it set me up perfectly for my 2024,” Hayes noted. “You guys are definitely going to be seeing me back here, whether it's here, where it's on RAW, whether I'm closing things out on NXT but it's not the last you've seen of Carmelo Hayes, because I am ‘Him.' And like I said, Kayla, sometimes, you got to take shots to make shots and whether I came up short, I can't miss.”

If the goal of Hayes' trip up to SmackDown was to become the new United States Champion, unfortunately, he came up short. If, however, it was to shoot his shot against main roster talents to see where he fits, then it's safe to say Melo got nothing but net.