Backstage details surrounding Pete Dunne's name change on SmackDown - Reports
The man formerly known as Pete Dunne has ceased to exist. On the latest edition of SmackDown, the former NXT UK Champion debuted on the main roster. His name, however, is now "Butch" after an introduction from Sheamus. Fightful Select reported several details surrounding Dunne's name change.
Dunne showed up backstage before the tag team match between The New Day, Sheamus, and Ridge Holland. Fightful reported that "something very dumb" was happening on tonight's episode of Smackdown.
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#SmackDown #Butch @WWESheamus @RidgeWWE https://t.co/ok3AHpeBYf
They also claimed that many people knew that the humorous segment would involve a name change, involving a prominent star known by another name.
Fightful Select also mentioned that a former WWE star thought the name change could reference "Butch" from The Little Rascals of the 1950s. Stars outside the promotion even speculated that the name might be linked to the Bushwhackers, as Holland's real name is Luke.
The debut on SmackDown was supposed to lead to a match at WrestleMania.
Another interesting aspect of the name swap was that it was supposed to lead to something bigger. Fightful Select reported that this was Dunne's official main router call-up.
They also claimed that there were plans for Butch, Ridge Holland, and Sheamus to take on The New Day at WrestleMania. The former NXT star would have attacked Kofi Kingston following the match.
Well that just wasn’t nice… @TrueKofi @WWEBigE #SmackDown @WWESheamus @RidgeWWE https://t.co/LoZ9fgfb7a
Unfortunately, it appears that Big E suffered a serious injury during the match. The severity is unknown at the moment, but he was stretchered to the back during the commercial break. Xavier Woods has also been out of action with another injury.
Coming back to the newest SmackDown star, Pete Dunne re-signed with WWE last fall. He won the NXT UK Championship and is a former NXT Tag Team Champion alongside Riddle. His addition to the main roster will count as one of the first call-ups since the black-and-gold brand's 2.0 reboot last fall.