Vince McMahon didn't want Pete Dunne to wrestle on WWE's main roster, according to 28-year-old star
Vince McMahon's WWE regime was filled with inconsistent bookings and questionable choices over the past few years. Recently, a former star revealed Pete Dunne's daunting fate on the main roster under the old regime.
In 2022, Vince McMahon brought Pete Dunne to WWE's main roster and rebranded him as The Brawling Brutes' Butch. The audience was seemingly against the idea, and the gimmick went on for a long time under the new and old regimes on the main roster.
On a recent episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Pete Dunne returned, and the management retired the Butch gimmick. Speaking on Muscle Man Malcolm, Mansoor talked about how McMahon was behind the Models and LA Knight and didn't want Butch to wrestle on the main roster.
"LA [Knight] was super cool because he could've just said no but he didn't. He tried to make it work. I remember talking about how much Vince [McMahon] was into this idea with LA and LA was just like I don't want to be a manager. I still got a lot left in the tank."
Mansoor added that McMahon didn't want Butch to wrestle on WWE's main roster.
"Dude, Vince [McMahon] wanted Butch to be a guy that never wrestles. Vince wanted Butch, Pete Dunne, to be a scrappy little guy, who just attacks people, but he never wanted Butch to actually wrestle a match." [From 11:00 to 11:30]
Fortunately, fans got Pete Dunne back.
Dutch Mantell talks about Pete Dunne's return on WWE SmackDown
Pete Dunne was extremely popular during his time on the then-black-and-gold brand and NXT UK. He was also one of the longest-reigning WWE United Kingdom Champions before Gunther defeated him for the title and broke several records in the promotion.
Lately, Pete Dunne has been teaming up with Tyler Bate after he received his main roster call-up. Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's SmackTalk, Dutch Mantell talked about Dunne's return on WWE SmackDown as he reminds him of Shane Douglas.
"He [Pete Dunne] has some good moves. He got some moves I have never seen before, and he kinda reminds me of, a little bit while walking out, of Shane Douglas. That’s what I am seeing, he looks a little bit like him anyway," Dutch Mantell said. [From 56:32 to 56:44]
It will be interesting to see what the management does with Dunne in the coming weeks.
What are your thoughts on Pete Dunne's return? Sound off in the comments section below.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit Muscle Man Malcolm and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.