3 WWE Superstars who asked to win a title and 3 who offered to lose a title

#5 Asked to win a WWE NXT title: Tye Dillinger

Tye Dillinger revealed in a 2019 interview on E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness that he asked to win the WWE NXT Championship during his 2016-17 rivalry with Bobby Roode.

At the time, Dillinger – now known as Shawn Spears in AEW – was among the most prominent Superstars in NXT, with his “Perfect Ten” character proving popular with the brand’s loyal fans.

“I think I did pitch an idea to win a title at a TakeOver, and then lose it immediately at a TV taping that Wednesday. Because it wasn’t about the title, it was about the climb. It was about the journey through, and then accomplishing it.” [H/T WrestleZone]

The on-screen rivalry between Dillinger and Roode ended at WWE NXT TakeOver: Toronto in November 2016, with Roode picking up the victory, but the two men continued to face each other at live events after “The Glorious One” won the NXT Championship from Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE NXT TakeOver: San Antonio in January 2017.

Judging by Dillinger’s comments, this is around the time that he wanted to win the title and drop it back to Roode at the next NXT taping. But, as it turned out, he joined the WWE SmackDown roster in April 2017, meaning he never challenged for the NXT Championship on television.