28-year-old star gives his honest opinion on big WWE name change after phone call with Shawn Michaels

WWE Superstar Butch, formerly known as Pete Dunne, has discussed a phone call he had with Shawn Michaels following his name change.

When Dunne first signed with WWE, it was as part of the WWE United Kingdom Championship tournament. The Bruiserweight then went on a near half-decade-long tear in the developmental territories. This saw him become the second-longest-reigning NXT UK Champion of all time. In 2022, however, Dunne was moved to WWE's main roster with a new look and a new name, Butch.

Now, during a recent interview with Ryan Satin on Out of Character, Butch has discussed the drastic name change. The former NXT UK Champion told Satin that he feared what the fan reaction might be to his character change. However, he also noted that his network of industry peers helped him see the positive aspects. He credited Shawn Michaels and William Regal specifically.

"Luckily, I have a great network around me in wrestling. Y'know I was able to call WIlliam Regal, Shawn Michaels. Get their opinion on it. And the overriding sort of conclusion I came to was, Pete Dunne, the name, isn't why people connect with me. People connect with me through what I do in the ring," he said (13:35 - 13:52)

THIS WEDNESDAY! #Butch will be our guest on #OutOfCharacter with @RyanSatin.

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A current NXT star recently told her own story about Shawn Michaels

Current NXT prospect Roxanne Perez recently shared what Michaels said to her before her debut match.

Prior to her in-ring debut at an NXT Level Up taping, Perez said that The Heartbreak Kid wanted to see her "sink or swim." She then credited Michaels for his work with the young talent in NXT.

"I remember Shawn Michaels told me, 'We're throwing you in the deep end, let's see if you sink or swim.' 'Alright,' and I swam." (H/T Fightful)

“They called and were like, 'You're making your NXT TV debut tonight. You have a promo, you have a backstage, you have a match.' 'Okay.'

I remember Shawn Michaels told me, 'We're throwing you in the deep end, lets see if you sink or swim.'”

- Roxanne Perez
(via Mark Moses Show) https://t.co/QABJrTcRGt

Michaels is currently the head of talent development at WWE NXT, and has a big influence over the brand's creative.

What did you think of Butch's comments? Are you enjoying his run with The Brawling Brutes? You can share your thoughts in the comment section down below.

If you use an quotes from this article please credit Out of Character with Ryan Satin and H/T Sportskeeda for transcriptions