Bate debuted for WWE in last January’s two-night UK Championship tournament, where he beat Pete Dunne in the finals to become the title’s first ever holder. At just 19 years old, Bate was being presented the belt by Triple H, William Regal, Finn Balor and Fit Finlay in the ring, quite the endorsement for a new star.
In the following months, Bate made his NXT debut, defeating Oney Lorcan, and successfully defended his UK title against Trent Seven and Jack Gallagher. But then, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, something happened backstage which caused officials to sour on his push.
Apparently, WWE wanted to book Bate for a main roster tour – yet another show of the company’s faith in their young star, having him travel with the Raw or SmackDown crews to gain experience working in front of large crowds. But Tyler reportedly replied saying he’d already made other plans and wouldn’t be able to make it.
While WWE supposedly contacted Tyler late for the main roster tour, it’s probably best to jump at the chance considering how volatile the company can be.
Possibly as a result of this, Bate was booked to lose his title to Pete Dunne at May’s NXT TakeOver: Chicago show. And despite putting on what many rated as the best WWE match of the year, Tyler wasn’t booked again until August, where he lost both his matches in NXT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WukMTB6SOeo
All three of his WWE matches this year have also been defeats – losing to Roderick Strong in a UK title No. 1 contender match, to TJP in the Cruiserweight title tournament, and to Velveteen Dream at the NXT TV tapings – causing Tyler to do some soul searching on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Tyler_Bate/status/958881927238430720
Do you think Tyler Bate deserves the heat? Let us know in the comments below.
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