Tyler Bate has finally arrived on the main roster, and he says the long wait was partly by design.
Bate first wrestled for WWE in 2017, and he was featured on NXT UK, as he was the inaugural NXT UK Champion. He moved to NXT after NXT UK went on hiatus, and he became a member of the brand’s roster. Bate then made his SmackDown debut on the January 5 episode as he teamed up with Butch to face Pretty Deadly.
Speaking with Alistair McGeorge of Metro, Tyler Bate discussed his move to the blue brand and made it clear that he was not bothered by the wait.
“Because I’ve been in wrestling so long, it’s almost like sometimes I forget how young I still am,” Tyler Bate said. “Even though I’ve been here for seven years, I still have a lot of time.”
Bate also noted that he has enjoyed “taking his time and not rushing” the road up to this point. He also stated that his delayed call-up was party tactical, as he did not want to get brought up when he was not ready.
“It’s finally like it got to the point like people were just like, ‘Come on. Let’s get Tyler on!” So I’d rather that then, like, I’m ‘not ready for the main roster,'”‘ Tyler Bate said. “It’s been like partly tactical.”
Tyler Bate: WWE SmackDown Debut Couldn’t Have Been More Ideal
Tyler Bate also commented on his debut on WWE SmackDown. He stated that while he was nervous, he was also excited.
“A lifetime of work was all coming together,” Tyler Bate said. “We both put a lot of pressure on ourselves with where we come from in representing British wrestling, and the style of British wrestling.
“Taking that to the main stage feels like a huge responsibility. But I feel like we’re both nailing it… [I was] super proud of how it went. It couldn’t have been more ideal for me.”
Bate and Butch are set to face Pretty Deadly on the January 19 episode of WWE SmackDown. Check out the card here.
WrestleZone will have coverage of the January 19 episode of WWE SmackDown as it airs on Friday.
