Tyler Bate finally made his WWE main roster debut on Friday Night SmackDown.
The former NXT UK Champion made his surprise debut on the show as Butch’s mystery partner. Butch has been without a partner since Ridge Holland walked out on him during a tag team match against Pretty Deadly in November of last year.
Despite being on his own, Butch continued his rivalry with Elton Prince and Kit Wilson, so on the first SmackDown episode of 2024, he called on his longtime friend, The Big Strong Boi to help him out.
The newly formed duo defeated their opponents after hitting a double Tyler Driver 1997 slam.
Tyler Bate confirmed he is now on the WWE SmackDown roster
Following his successful debut on the blue brand WWE’s social media team captured the moment he and Butch entered the backstage area. Still buzzing from what unfolded in the ring, Bate proudly declared:
Yes, finally. It’s been a long time but the Big Strong Boi has finally arrived on SmackDown and I am here to stay. Yes!
Bate has since been added to the SmackDown roster page on WWE’s website.
As the man himself stated, he has waited a long time to make his official main roster debut. Signing with the company in 2016, he became the inaugural NXT UK Champion at just 19 years old.
After dropping the title to Pete Dunne (Butch) he formed Mustache Mountain with Trent Seven. The Black Country duo went on to win the NXT and NXT UK Tag Team Championships. He is also the first-ever holder of the NXT UK Heritage Cup, thus making him the only wrestler to become an NXT UK Triple Crown Champion. Additionally, he was the only two-time NXT United Kingdom Champion and is recognized as the final holder of the title.
When the UK branch folded in 2022, Bate headed to Florida, where he challenged for the North American Championship before finally heading to the main roster.