The former Pete Dunne revealed what Vince McMahon thinks about changing his identity to Butch alongside the Brawling Brutes on SmackDown.
When he competed in NXT UK and later in NXT, Pete Dunne was a force to be reckoned with. His record-long reign as NXT UK Champion may have been broken by WALTER (another WWE Superstar to undergo a name change), but he made his mark on the WWE landscape long before making his way to the main roster.
However, when he was called up to SmackDown, Dunne received a name change, and has henceforth been known as Butch, a brawler aligned with Sheamus and Ridge Holland as part of the Brawling Brutes.
Though many fans found themselves up in arms about the name change for such an established talent, Butch himself isn’t bothered, and actually finds the change “exciting.” Speaking in a recent interview with Metro.co.uk, the former Pete Dunne opened up about gauging the reaction from fans with regard to his name change, and that he enjoys seeing it catch on over time despite being aware of potential backlash.
“I was aware of that, and that’s quite nervewracking at the time ’cause you know the reaction that’s coming from people. But, you just have to tune out from that and focus on what you can, and that’s the quality of the work you put out.
“Seeing it catch on in different places, it’s almost more rewarding because I know who I am with Pete Dunne and the Bruiserweight, that’s established. But to start establishing something new is a really rewarding process.”
The star also revealed Vince McMahon’s reaction to his change of identity, saying that the WWE Chairman is “really into” the idea.
“He seems really into this, as you can imagine. He seems really into the idea of Butch. It is entertaining.”
The former “Bruiserweight” assured fans that despite his name change, his NXT legacy will always stay intact despite the fact that he’s starting over in a sense since his move to SmackDown.
“Not that I want my NXT work to vanish, it never will – it’s always gonna be there, and I hope people can always appreciate it. But if you could do that and you could start all over again, and this is me coming in fresh to the company, I think there’d be a lot of people who’d look at it through a different lens.”
While the SmackDown star embraced the idea of becoming Butch, former NXT Superstar Bull Dempsey revealed that he rejected the idea when the name was once pitched to him, but that he doesn’t believe the name will hold the Brawling Brute back in the slightest because he is so talented.