WWE Changes Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Due To Injury
WWE UK Superstar Tyler Bate is currently out of action with a minor knee injury, according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
As indicated in recent WWE NXT TV tapings reports, Bate and Trent Seven were replaced by Roderick Strong and WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne in The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
No word yet on when Bate suffered the injury but he worked several RevPro and PROGRESS matches in February, including a Thunderbastard Match for PROGRESS on February 25th. He also worked a Riptide Wrestling event on March 2nd but did not appear for the related event the next night. Bate's last WWE appearances came for NXT and WWE 205 Live in late January and the first week of February. The angle with Dunne and Strong being put into the Dusty Classic tournament was done on March 7th, just a few days after the Riptide event.
It looks like Bate isn't planning on being out of the ring for long as he and Seven have been announced to face The Untouchables at the PROGRESS x EPW event on April 18th in Perth, Western Australia. Bate, Seven and Dunne are also announced for the PROGRESS x MCW and PROGRESS x PWA shows in Melbourne and Sydney that same week. Bate is also still scheduled for just one indie appearance in New Orleans during WrestleMania 34 Weekend, the PROGRESS event on Hall of Fame Friday.
The following contains spoilers from the recent NXT TV tapings.
Based on what happened at the recent NXT TV tapings, Dunne and Strong vs. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch in a first round Dusty Classic match should air on the March 21st episode. Bate and Seven were originally scheduled to face Lorcan and Burch. Strong and Dunne would then face SAnitY on the March 28th episode. As noted in our recent spoiler report, Dunne and Strong will face The Authors of Pain and NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era at "Takeover: New Orleans" with the winners taking home the Dusty Classic trophy and the titles. Due to Bobby Fish's injury, The Undisputed Era will be represented by Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole that night. This means that Cole will pull double duty that night as he will compete in the Ladder Match to crown the first-ever NXT North American Champion with Ethan Carter III, Ricochet, The Velveteen Dream, Lars Sullivan and Killian Dain. Fish is expected to be out of action for 6 months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn MCL and a torn ACL back on March 9th.
While Strong and Dunne have had recent interactions on NXT TV and at NXT live events, it looks like they were put together because of the injury to Bate.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
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