Referee Stops WWE SmackDown Match Between Carmelo Hayes & Austin Theory Due To Injury

Carmelo Hayes was looking to improve his chances of entering the Royal Rumble Friday night on "WWE SmackDown" with a win over Austin Theory. Unfortunately, no win (or loss) was to be had, as the match was stopped early by the referee following an awkward spot for both men off the top rope.

With Hayes in a seated position atop the corner, Theory charged toward him and attempted something along the lines of a Spanish Fly, only from a half-seated position himself, and the back of Hayes' head appeared to land on Theory's forehead as they reached the mat. The referee initially checked on Theory, throwing up the X signal from there to call the match and summon a doctor, but the doctor seemed to spend more time checking on Hayes, at least on camera. The showed a replay of the incident before cutting to Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick, who assured viewers that updates would be shared as soon as possible.

Hayes showed up to "SmackDown" tonight asking General Manager Nick Aldis about his Rumble chances only for Theory and Grayson Waller to interrupt, thwarting any resolution that could have been made there. This set up the match between Hayes and Theory which unfortunately got no definition resolution either.