Following the conclusion of the match, Saints attempted to attack Williams. However, Lil Yachty intervened, striking Saints with a kendo stick before delivering a People's Elbow.
Contendership Build-Up
The path to Night of Champions saw Saints and Carmelo Hayes engaged in a heated rivalry for the opportunity to challenge Williams for the U.S. title. After Hayes defeated Saints on the May 15 episode of SmackDown, Williams faced Hayes one week later. During that bout, Williams' victory was aided by interference from Saints, who distracted Hayes.
This led to a series of subsequent matches between Saints and Hayes. On the May 29 edition of SmackDown, their contest ended in a double count-out. A week later, on June 5, Saints secured a victory over Hayes. With their series tied, Saints and Hayes met again on the June 19 SmackDown. The winner of this final encounter would earn the right to face Williams at Night of Champions.
In their decisive match, Saints utilized an underhanded tactic, sending Hayes headfirst into an exposed turnbuckle. This proved to be the turning point, as Saints followed up with a pinfall victory to earn his championship opportunity.
NXT History
The championship match at Night of Champions represented a renewed rivalry for Williams and Saints, who had a history during their time in NXT. In singles competition, Saints held a perfect 2-0 record against Williams in NXT. He successfully defended the NXT Championship against Trick Williams at Halloween Havoc 2025 and again on the November 11, 2025, episode of NXT TV.
Featured names
- Trick Williams
- Ricky Saints
- United States
- Grades Before
- Carmelo Hayes
- Halloween Havoc
- Champions Info
- Grading Ottawa
- Arch Addresses
- Heisman Buzz
- Tracking Latest
- Taylor Swift
- Travis Kelce
- Champions Trick
- Champions Oba
- Rumors Taylor
