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What's the story?
SmackDown Live superstar Tye Dillinger has made a surprising to return to NXT, albeit for one night only. 'The Perfect 10' appeared at an NXT live event in Rochester yesterday, picking up a victory in the opening match of the evening.
In case you didn't know
'The Perfect 10' Tye Dillinger is a 16 year veteran of the professional wrestling world who is now in his second stint with WWE. Dillinger was first signed back in 2006, when he worked as the 'Canadian Sensation' Shawn Spears. He briefly worked as Gavin Spears on WWECW, before being released in 2009.
He re-signed with WWE in 2013 and was assigned to NXT as Tye Dillinger, but little seemed to have changed. Dillinger worked primarily as an enhancement talent, jumping in and out of a tag team with Jason Jordan, before unveiling the 'Perfect 10' gimmick in August 2015. This changed everything for Dillinger, who all of a sudden found himself as one of the most popular stars on the NXT roster.
Dillinger moved up to the main roster as part of the Superstar Shake-Up following WrestleMania, and his time on SmackDown Live has been fair to middling in the five months since. Dillinger is due to face AJ Styles for the WWE United States Championship next week on SmackDown.
The heart of the matter
Dillinger made his first appearance in NXT for five months last night, appearing in the opening match of the night at a live event in Rochester. Dillinger's appearance was a complete surprise, and the audience responded enthusiastically in kind.
Dillinger took on Kona Reeves, making short work of the Hawaiian with the Tye-Breaker. Dillinger celebrated with the crowd, who seemed thrilled to have 'The Perfect 10' back among the ranks.
The show was headlined by an NXT Championship match between Drew McIntyre and Andrade Almas, which was won by the champion. Elsewhere, Bobby Roode defeated The Velveteen Dream, Aleister Black defeated Hideo Itami and Johnny Gargano bested Killian Dain.
What's next?
It is unlikely that this will be anything more than a one-off appearance back in NXT for Dillinger. The Perfect 10' has been a peripheral figure on SmackDown since making the jump in April, but he seems to be getting some time to shine now as part of the AJ Styles/Baron Corbin storyline.
Author's take
These are exactly the sorts of things that NXT should do more often, in order to make their live events must-see. By having former NXT stars show up unannounced, the brand is creating the idea that you have to go and see the show, because you never know who will turn up.
Dillinger is a main roster competitor now, but his presence will always be welcome in NXT.
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