Predicting WWE’s Post-WrestleMania 33 Call-Ups from NXT
By Adam O'Brien
Source: WWE.com
4. Tye Dillinger – SmackDown Live
Though Tye Dillinger has already technically made his WWE main roster debut, “The Perfect 10” has yet to make the permanent transition to the live weekly touring schedule of either of the company’s primary brands.
This was a very smart move on WWE’s behalf.
Dillinger had a strong showing from the apropos #10 position in the Royal Rumble match, in which he was able to take the fight to Braun Strowman, of all people, lighting up San Antonio with a flurry of “10” chants from everyone in the audience.
But we are in the height of WrestleMania season, and with Samoa Joe having made his official debut on Monday Night Raw, there’s only so much room for new recruits from NXT to get any decent billing ahead of the huge spectacle in Orlando, Florida.
It seems like WWE is waiting until after ‘Mania is over and done to use Dillinger for all he’s worth, which really eases the pressure behind this kid. It also postpones his real debut for WrestleMania week — be it Raw or the more likely home of SmackDown Live, both of which are sure to feature the raucous post-Mania crowd this year – which will do wonders in terms of fan reception when his music inevitably hits.
The “Perfect 10” gimmick is easily the best thing to ever happen to Dillinger, given how his signature chants have already made their way to live television even in his absence, and it will be the infectious nature of that gimmick that gets Tye Dillinger to unforeseen heights in terms of popularity when he makes his presence felt.
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We’ve seen murmurs before about a rivalry between Tye Dillinger and The Miz, which would be a fantastic way to kick-start this man’s tenure on SmackDown Live.
As mentioned, Tye is more commonly known for being a glorified enhancement talent in NXT — he developed his character as a way of getting over despite having to constantly lose big matches at TakeOver events, and it’s worked tremendously.
But now that Dillinger is on the verge of a breakthrough to the main roster, there is serious potential for him to shake off that reputation for losing and actually become a credible name in the upper mid-card on SmackDown Live at the very least.