According to Wrestlevotes Radio on Fightful Select, there was a last-minute change to last week’s WWE SmackDown episode, resulting in the cancellation of a planned storyline. Initially, the angle involved The Miz attacking Ilja Dragunov, which would have led to a match between the two at a later date. However, this storyline was ultimately removed from the show.
The report indicates that this storyline made it into some very late drafts for last week’s SmackDown, but it ultimately did not come to fruition. It is unclear whether the storyline has been completely scrapped or if it has merely been delayed. Both Dragunov and Miz appeared in a segment on last week’s show, where they argued about who should receive a shot at the U.S. Title against Carmelo Hayes. Hayes then announced that Dragunov would receive a shot later on, but he would face The Miz that same night.
In the subsequent match, Hayes defeated The Miz in a non-title contest. WWE has yet to announce when the U.S. Title rematch between Hayes and Dragunov will take place. Hayes previously defeated Dragunov to win the U.S. Championship on the December 26th edition of Friday Night SmackDown.
