The tag team formerly known as “British Guys Who Look Like They Own Tea Shops But Hit Like Freight Trains” is officially back! That’s right—Tyler Bate returned from injury to reunite with Pete Dunne, reforming New Catch Republic on WWE Raw in London. The reception was hot, the teamwork crisp, the outfits matching—and the result? A clean L, courtesy of The New Day.
Bate, sidelined since last summer with a hand injury, rejoined Dunne, who’s been out here doing his own thing—mainly trying to distance himself from his past life as “Butch”, wrestling triple threats, feuding with R-Truth, and being the first human to experience existential crisis during a promo segment.
The match started strong for New Catch Republic, with Dunne and Bate dishing out that vintage Euro-grappling violence that makes you appreciate wrist control on a spiritual level. They took turns picking apart The New Day, turning the ring into a joint manipulation workshop. But, as any seasoned tag team fan knows, you don’t keep The New Day down unless you’re legally cleared to teleport, and the boys in blue turned the tide in classic fashion.
After Dunne got isolated and probably flashbacked to being called “Butch” again, he tagged in Bate, who hit an Airplane Spin on Kofi Kingston so long it might have qualified as a flight delay. The crowd was spinning, Bate was spinning, and somewhere in the back, Drew Gulak was taking notes.
They followed up with a beautiful lariat-German suplex combo, almost securing the win—almost. But The New Day, fueled by nostalgia, friendship, and possibly Booty-O’s, rallied once more. Kofi hit a double stomp, Woods held down Dunne, and the three-count was clean and final.
So while the New Catch Republic is back, they’re also 0-1 on the scoreboard—but hey, they’re stylish, aggressive, and British. If that doesn’t scream “tag title contenders,” I don’t know what does.