A star of WWE SmackDown has confirmed that their long-time faction has come to an end and they may soon revive an old identity!
During last night’s edition of SmackDown, Butch and SmackDown’s newest star Tyler Bate were seen meeting up for coffee. After some small talk about the duo’s victory over Pretty Deadly the week before, Bate told Butch that he could sense he was feeling lost and offered to help with some meditation techniques.
Butch shut him down though, telling him that their reunion was a one-time deal and their tag team alliance was “in the past”, as is The Brawling Brutes – seemingly indicating the end of both his affiliation with Sheamus and Ridge Holland and their faction as a whole.
Bate didn’t let up, telling his long-time friend that this was their chance to show the world what British Strong Style was all about and even referenced Triple H telling him to “make a name for yourself, kid” back at the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Tournament in 2017.
The segment ended with Bate encouraging Butch to look inward and ask himself what name he wants to make for himself going forward on SmackDown, seemingly indicating that the latter will revive his former ring name of Pete Dunne for the first time in almost two years.
On the following week’s SmackDown, the Pete Dunne name and persona were officially revived.
"What is that name going to be?" – Tyler Bate to Butch…#SmackDown | Live on TNT Sports & discovery+ pic.twitter.com/7giifu01Y3
— WWE on TNT Sports (@wweontnt) January 13, 2024
The Brawling Brutes Are Seemingly Finished
The segment seemingly marks the end of The Brawling Brutes a little over two years on from their debut. The group initially consisted of just Sheamus and Holland, with Butch being added to their ranks in early-2022 in his main roster call-up from NXT.
Their most notable achievement as a faction came during the second night of WrestleMania 38 where Sheamus and Holland defeated Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of The New Day in a tag team match.