Tye Dillinger was one of the most popular stars in NXT, and fans had been calling for him to make the jump to the main roster for quite some time. Dillinger is now a member of the SmackDown Live brand, but technically he made his main roster debut at the Royal Rumble back in January.
Related: Watch Shinsuke Nakamura And Tye Dillinger’s Final Bows At NXT Atlanta
In the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble pay-per-view there were a lot of rumors circulating in regards to who might be making their debut during the match, and Tye Dillinger’s name is one that came up consistently.
Although fans were already talking about Tye Dillinger’s impending Royal Rumble appearance weeks before the show on social media, the former NXT star recently told TV Insider that he only found out about it hours before the event.
“It was probably hours beforehand. It had been snowballing the months leading up to it with the concept, the idea and the possibility. They got a kick out of the thought that I come in at number 10,” Dillinger said. “So I heard all those rumors and things. But this is sports entertainment, so things can change on a daily basis. For that reason you have to be ready to go at any time. So when my number was called, I was ready to go.”
Although Dillinger may be a main roster star now, he’s still proud of his time in NXT, and the brand will always be a part of him.
“It’s huge right now,” he said. “It’s probably the hottest brand in wrestling right now. We had NXT TakeOver. I looked forward to that more than anything. Then when that is over, I watch WrestleMania. So I’m going to gear toward that. Then Raw and SmackDown Live. I’m happy to be part of NXT. I will always feel part of that. As long as I’m part of the WWE umbrella, I’m the happiest guy around.”
Now that Tye Dillinger is officially a main roster star, who do you want to see him feud with going forward? Sound off in the comments below.
