 Their feud ended abruptly when Hennig vacated the title after an injury, causing McIntyre to be elevated into title contendership, beating Escobar for the vacant championship on 19 March.McIntyre regularly defended the title until 11 June, when Tyler Reks (the former Gabe Tuft) won the title in his second attempt.Later that month, McIntyre failed to win a 14-man battle royal for a chance to regain the title.