Tyler Bate made his long-awaited return to WWE Raw tonight at London’s O2 Arena, reuniting with Pete Dunne to reform the New Catch Republic. The duo surprised the UK crowd as the mystery opponents for The New Day.
This marks Bate’s first in-ring appearance since July 2024, when he suffered a torn pectoral muscle during a tag match with Pete Dunne against Hank & Tank on WWE NXT. The injury required surgery and kept the 27-year-old sidelined for nearly eight months.
Bate, the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion and former NXT Tag Team Champion, was medically cleared for return in February 2025. While initial reports suggested he might return on the February 24 edition of Raw, fans had to wait until tonight’s show in London for his comeback.
The New Catch Republic, which debuted on SmackDown’s New Year’s Revolution episode in January 2024, had been building momentum before Bate’s injury. The team had challenged for tag team gold at both WrestleMania XL and Elimination Chamber prior to Bate being sidelined.
