Meet Dudley's babyfaced wrestling star
Weighing in at 15 stone and with muscles to put even seasoned gym bunnies to shame, semi professional wrestler Tyler Bate is the envy of hundreds of men.
Tyler travels hundreds of miles every weekend from his home in Netherton to face off against some of the greatest grapplers in the world.
But despite having a well-travelled head on his shoulders, he's not even old enough to buy a beer.
At the tender age of 17, Tyler is doing what some wrestlers never achieve in their lifetime. When he's not working as an apprentice in a Halesowen warehouse, he's coming up against his heroes in the ring.
He discovered wrestling 11 years ago when he played American wrestling giant WWE's latest computer game. When he turned 12, he decided he wanted to become a professional like the muscle-bound athletes on the screen and has worked tirelessly to make his childhood dream a reality.
"I decided I wanted to become a professional wrestler after a live wrestling event. I started training in the summer of 2011 at the AWW Academy in Dudley. I just started searching on the internet non-stop for anywhere local that did any professional wrestling training at all.
"I only really properly started going to the gym when I was 16 but I dabbled in exercising at around 12 or 13 when I was doing gymnastics."
Tyler's only been working out at the gym for a year, but is already in phenomenal shape.
His mum Jill Stafford-Bate has encouraged him to achieve his aspirations and follows her son's progress with astonishment.
She says: "Tyler has been very active and quite entertaining since he was small. He attended a dance school, along with his sister Harley, when he was around five.
"He received a huge dance trophy when him and his little partner did a very quick quick step at a competition in Prestatyn and were voted most entertaining couple.
"Then Tyler moved on to gymnastics when he was seven and stayed with that for a number of years. It was at seven that he decided he wanted to be a wrestler. He started training when he was 14 and hasn't looked back.
"He's insisted from that early age that he will be a famous wrestler and, I have to say, I'm starting to believe him."
Tyler's physique is down to a dedicated four-times-a-week gym regime. He doesn't stick to a strict diet, instead just being sensible with what he eats.
A humble and polite young man, Tyler's a sterling example of a teenager coming good. In a country where many young people are seen as troublemaking members of society, he's showing that this isn't always the case.
"My work ethic and interests are a lot different than most. I'm quite old-fashioned and enjoy hard work, but in other ways I'm still just a normal 17-year-old. I enjoy going out with my friends and partying and going to my local snooker club."
As his career goes from strength to strength, Tyler remains down-to-earth about the future.
"My hopes are simply to make a living from travelling the world wrestling. Whether it be in front of thousands of fans or to 20 people in a social club.
"I don't really plan ahead; I'm more of a 'see where the wind takes me' kind of guy. I would like to try my luck in Japan wrestling eventually though.
"I don't really have any big achievements in mind, just being able to wrestle in front of people is a huge achievement already."
Tyler's gone toe-to-toe with some of the best wrestlers in the industry in every corner of the UK. He recently travelled to Germany to wrestle for the world-renowned promotion WXW, his first experience wrestling out of the country.
He says: "If I go to other countries to wrestle my parents won't travel with me. Like anyone my age there are restrictions and things you can't do when you're with your parents. I like being able to do things and have them on my own conscience. I would much rather my family let me be myself and mess up rather than pretend to be someone I'm not.
"My family has always been supportive of my wrestling and have only wanted me to be happy."
And mum Jill, along with husband Jonathan, is delighted with how far her boy has progressed.
"I'm extremely proud of Tyler whenever I see him in any wrestling show. I see this confident young man, my son, entertaining wrestling fans.
"Recently he competed against US wrestler Jay Lethal in the main event at a Shropshire Wrestling Alliance show. To hear the whole crowd chanting his name when he was wrestling the Ring of Honor World TV Champion was very special.
"At the end of the match the crowd showed their appreciation banging on the apron, chanting 'that was awesome' and when Jay Lethal got out of the ring, the crowd got in and lifted Tyler up in the air.
"It made my heart flutter a little and it was a huge moment for him. His Facebook and Twitter didn't stop that night with amazing comments on his performance.
"I've always known he's an extra special talent but it's wonderful when you hear other people feel the same about him."
With such a strong work ethic, an enviable physique and no imposing ego, Tyler is set to go far in the wrestling world and beyond. We're sure it won't be long before he's lifting championship belts along with his weights at the gym.
* Tyler wrestles at Fight Club: Pro at Planet nightclub in Wolverhampton next month. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/FightClubPro
Let's get physical:
Tyler goes to the gym three to four times a week for between one and two hours. His workouts mostly consist of functional power movements such as back squat, front squat, snatch, deadlifts, overhead pressing and some aesthetic-based exercises.
Bench press personal best: 130kg
Deadlift personal best: 210kg
Squat personal best: 235kg
