10 Buried Treasures That Could Leave WWE Before 2018
2. Tyler Bate
The inaugural United Kingdom Champion this week tasted defeat alongside Moustache Mountain comrade Trent Seven as the pair made up the numbers on NXT, but Tyler Bate's biggest loss this year was perhaps defined by his biggest victory.
An unlikely but rewarding winner of January's UK Title tournament, Bate's emergence at such a young age was presented as a fairytale finish despite his well-rounded experience on the British independent scene and on select shows around the world. As Champion though, his reign peaked the night he held the title aloft in Blackpool's beautiful Empress Ballroom.
Without opponents to defend the title against nor a single clear outline of the division's future, Bate was left to tiptoe through history, taking the title with him to independent shows to the sounds of longterm fan gasps. Until the novelty wore off.
Having barely appeared for the organisation, his first significant appearance ended in definitive defeat to Pete Dunne in an NXT TakeOver: Chicago match many consider to be the best match of the year. Far from finding reward for his efforts, his was again plunged into obscurity as new titleholder Dunne gobbled up the scraps WWE threw to their former pet projects.
Possibly a hindrance rather than a help, Bate's relationship with the company already seems less mutually beneficial than the 20-year-old deserves, and a refresher away from the empire might be what he needs to protect his embryonic topline career.