Bateman On Re-Signing With ROH, His "Charles And 'Tex" Relationship With Vincent
Tyler Bateman is happy to continue the momentum built with The Righteous fam — Vincent and Vita VonStarr — in Ring of Honor. Just as he was experiencing his career reaching new heights, coronavirus rocked the world. The company cancelled events and TV tapings out of an abundance of caution.
For this period of uncertainty, Bateman recalled ROH treating him and his colleagues across the board well. The veteran felt the same as he headed to Baltimore when the promotion began producing shows again. Only it wasn't in an arena full of screaming fans, but within a proverbial "Bubble."
"They took care of us," he said. "There wasn't anyone, as far as I know, that was concerned about their well being. Periodically we would have meetings so everyone would know what was going on.
"The expectation of what the 'Bubble' would be and what it ended up being, I think was fairly one-to-one. They told us we would have our own rooms and be tested even before we left on a plane. And that we'll be getting there and have a series series of tests. One when we get there, one on the way out too. Between the company and the boxing commission working hand-in-hand, they are doing everything possible to keep us safe as possible and still get us to work."
Final Battle
With new ROH shows back in rotation, Bateman was excited to sink his teeth into the long-term story involving his partner Vincent and their rivalry with Matt Taven and the returning Mike Bennett. This deeply personal feud boiled over at the end of 2020 in a Final Battle tag team war.
"The actual match was good to me because Final Battle the year before wasn't a show I was able to have a match on, but still made an impact," he said. "A year later to participate on arguably Ring of Honor's biggest show of the year and also tie-in from the year before and the after-match also ties in, so it keeps feeding the machine. It was a real good feeling. I very much enjoyed what we did."
The Righteous was an organic evolution given Bateman's shared interests with Vincent and VonStarr. Their gothic presentation has meshed well, becoming a formidable unit.
"Before Vinny and I even met, we were Instagram pals," Bateman said. "We would follow each other and were aware of each other but nothing major. Once we met it essentially became Vincent and Bateman becoming Charles and 'Tex.' And if you get that reference, good for you.
"The two of us got along almost immediately. Meeting Vita and figuring out what her interests are. As far as I'm aware, they are very similar to us with horror and true crime. Makes everything so much easier. I also feel that helps with the overall presentation."
A New Deal with Ring of Honor
Given his positive experience working for ROH, signing a new deal with them in January was a no-brainer. This was an opportunity he had worked for so long attaining. The hard work is finally paying off.
"Easily one of the best places I've worked. A stress-free environment in a lot of ways. As far as My first deal [with them] came after 18 years on the job," he said. "But before I felt like I was wrestling for 16 or 17 years before I felt like I actually gained any sort of non-local traction.
"Then in 2017 into 2018 getting out there a little more and feeling like I had a little more of a reach. That deal came up, and I certainly wasn't going to pass that by because it feels like things are sort of just starting."
Bateman won't go into specifics on the new deal. Though it has given him even more motivation to succeed.
"Happy with the new deal that got drawn up, especially with the last year being as sparse as it was [with lack of shows]," he said. "I'm really hoping to show them a little payoff on their investment over the course of this next year."
Watch ROH weekly in syndication, on ROH's website or HonorClub.
(Featured Photo Courtesy: Ring of Honor/Mike Adams)
Bateman's full interview aired as part of today's episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon by clicking here. You can find the full audio, as well as the video from Scott's interview with Bateman, below.