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WWE Rumors: Vince McMahon ‘Punishing’ Superstar After ‘Royal Rumble’ Performance

By Danny Cox
Published on: 09:24 PST, Feb 2, 2017

With the popularity and success of NXT, WWE is essentially building generation after generation of new talent to fill the main roster. When they make their debuts, it will sometimes mean they are there for good or it could just be a one-off appearance. As Tye Dillinger made his debut in this weekend’s Royal Rumble, many thought he had finally hit the big-time, but it appears as if Vince McMahon is not yet ready for him to make that jump.

Dillinger’s inclusion in the Royal Rumble is something that had been rumored for a long time, and if WWE hadn’t had him at No. 10, it would have been a total waste. He didn’t eliminate anyone and was sent out of the ring by Braun Strowman before too long.

Still, he received a tremendous response from the crowd who chanted out “10” for virtually every single thing he did in the ring. While some believed he would now move to Monday Night Raw or SmackDown Live, it appears as if Vince McMahon isn’t yet ready for that to happen.

[Image by WWE]

According to a report from WWE Insiders, Vince McMahon wasn’t overly pleased with Dillinger’s debut and is thinking of “punishing” by keeping him in NXT for a while. It is hard to think of NXT as punishment, but everyone’s main goal is to get to the WWE main roster.

The report references The Ascension, who were tearing through NXT and looked to be one of the next big tag teams in all of wrestling. Upon being brought up to the main roster, they have been a complete bust and are usually seen as the jobbers of the SmackDown Live brand.

Tye Dillinger was reportedly going to make his debut on SmackDown Live this week and move immediately into a feud with Dean Ambrose over the Intercontinental Title. Obviously, that did not happen as Ambrose was named as one of the six participants in the WWE Championship Match at Elimination Chamber.

While Vince McMahon wasn’t overly thrilled with Dillinger’s Royal Rumble debut, Triple H seemed rather impressed.

Adding a little bit of credibility to this rumor is that not only was Dillinger not on SmackDown this week, but he was also at the NXT tapings for February. As reported by PW Mania, the tapings took place on Wednesday night and will air throughout the month.

At NXT Takeover: San Antonio, Dillinger lost a singles match against Eric Young of SAnitY, and it appears as if that program is continuing. The tapings at Full Sail University saw Dillinger called out by Eric Young who said the “Perfect 10” now belongs to SAnitY after his loss at Takeover.

Dillinger refused to join and ended up being attacked by SAnitY, but Roderick Strong and No Way Jose made the save to make the fans very happy. Still, it does seem as if Dillinger will be in NXT at least a few more weeks as he wrestled matches for episodes airing through February 15.

After performing on both Saturday and Sunday nights, Tye Dillinger commented on how busy he had been while in Texas. Maybe, WWE simply doesn’t have the right storyline or angle in place for him at this point and don’t want to waste his complete debut before it is the perfect time.

Having Tye Dillinger debut at No. 10 in the Royal Rumble was the ideal thing for WWE to do, but no one ever said it was his official call-up to the main roster. While it is true that NXT is Triple H’s pride and joy, Vince McMahon still has the ultimate decision in big moves. Dillinger is a great talent and has a huge fanbase, but the “Perfect 10” doesn’t seem to be ready just yet for Monday Night Raw or SmackDown Live, although NXT isn’t really a punishment.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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