WWE re-naming Pete Dunne as Butch reportedly led to some groans and frustration within the company.
As noted, tonight’s SmackDown on FOX saw Butch get the call-up from WWE NXT. He was put with Sheamus and Ridge Holland, billed as another protégé of The Celtic Warrior, and a longtime associate of Holland and Sheamus. Butch accompanied Sheamus and Holland to the ring for their match against Big E and Kofi Kingston, and ended up distracting Kingston from the apron so that Sheamus could finish him off for the win while Big E was being checked on at ringside for his broken neck.
In an update, word started going around backstage at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham on Friday afternoon, saying that “something very dumb” was planned for SmackDown, according to Fightful Select.
While Dunne wasn’t being named in the backstage chatter, it was later being said that a Superstar that many already knew was undergoing a name change. It was also said that the new name was something that caused frustration by those backstage who had heard about it.
SmackDown hit the air and then it was revealed that Dunne is now Butch, with a new look and all.
It was noted that a few non-WWE wrestlers knew of the name change as far back as Thursday, and they were speculating that it could be a rib related to WWE Hall of Famers The Bushwhackers, Butch and Luke, because “Luke” is Holland’s real name.
The former NXT UK Champion, who re-signed with WWE back in the summer, tweeted a GIF of the backstage segment and wrote, “BUTCH. Probably.”
