Long ago, before the days of the Arena being widely known to all, Bates was the head crew member of a construction group. During the construction group's prime, it consisted of several current Arena roster members, including Bosh, Dooey, and Manderly. The group originally was intended to have five members, but despite Trent's usefulness with a nail gun, he wasn't super interested in the safety aspect by the time they found him. So the four would travel around, finding new people and places to erect buildings for a modest and fair price. For a time, this worked wonderfully and the group was seeing success left and right. This would not last however, as soon, technological advancements replaced the need for brick and mortar and replaced the need for hand crafted work. Automation was becoming the new normal. Bates was not fond of this development and despite his attempts to resist the winds of change, soon enough all those who had previously employed his small company had severed their contracts with him. Unable to compete with the demand for instant gratification, in favor of perhaps slower, but to Bates, realer and more heartfelt progress. These days he remains employed by the Arena, most often seen repairing wall damage after Gunther's matches. However, recently, he was approached by a man with a bat named Mick, who said he was looking for a partner in the Arena's upcoming tournament. Not much of a fighter, Bates turned this offer down, until he was shown the registration flier that noted a large monetary prize. Seeing this as his chance to retire the way he planned all those years ago, Bates signed the dotted line to join Mick's team, Brick-a-Bat.