Report: Former NXT UK Champion to return to his original name
Fans have been asking for Butch to return with his old name for over a year; Reportedly, former NXT champion getting his original name, Pete Dunne.
Pate Dunne (via-Wrestling News)
Pete Dunne rose to prominence in the NXT UK brand of WWE. Dunne made his NXT UK debut in 2017, and he quickly became a fan favourite due to his technical wrestling ability and aggressive style. Dunne won the NXT UK Championship in 2018 after defeating Tyler Bate in an acclaimed match. He held the title for over 600 days. During his reign, Dunne defended the title against several top competitors, including Joe Coffey, WALTER (Gunther), and Jordan Devlin.
In March 2022, Pete Dunne made his main roster debut on SmackDown. However, he was completely rebranded and his name changed to Butch. He has been a part of The Brawling Brutes faction along with Ridge Holland and Sheamus, from the beginning of his main roster run.
As a part of the trio, Butch has had a decent run so far on SmackDown. However, fans were disappointed with the renaming as well as the character change of the former NXT UK champion under the creative control of Vince McMahon. Hence, when Triple H took over as the creative lead, Butch got back his old attire from NXT UK, but the name remained the same.
According to a recent report, Butch is getting back his old name, Pete Dunne sooner rather than later. The report also stated that it was the original plan ever since the beginning of Triple H’s creative regime last year.
However, the plans were scrapped due to The Brawling Brutes getting over with the fans. Considering the report, Butch might be getting a singles run by reverting back to Pete Dunne. This is a piece of great news for the fans as they have been asking for this for over a year.
Related: WWE are reportedly eyeing a major character change for former World Champion
Butch (fka Pete Dunne) and The Brawling Brutes
The Brawling Brutes was formed when Sheamus aligned himself with Ridge Holland in November 2021. However, the faction seemed to be lacking something as they were not involved in any high-profile feud.
With the inclusion of Pete Dunne/Butch, The Brawling Brutes excelled with a new found aggression. They had a decent feud with The New Day as a heel faction. Conversely, during their intense feud with The Imperium, the group turned face and instantly got over with the WWE Universe.
Drew McIntyre also joined the faction later to make them a force to be reckoned with. Hence, It remains to be seen what the future beholds for The Brawling Brutes and Butch.
In case you missed it:
Gaurav Singh
(197 Articles Published)