Former NXT star Bull James (Bull Dempsey) has recalled rejecting the ring name ‘Butch’ years before it was given to Pete Dunne.
On the March 11 edition of SmackDown, Pete Dunne was introduced to the main roster as ‘Butch’, and aligned with Sheamus & Ridge Holland.
Speaking on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast, James noted that former Performance Center coach Bill DeMott wanted him to wrestle as Butch, before he ultimately settled on the name Bull Dempsey.
James said:
“There’s all this uproar about Pete Dunne being Butch. Butch was one of the names I put on my list, thinking, ‘Oh, they’ll never use this,’ but not realizing that Bill DeMott’s nickname for his son was Butch, so he loved it. He kept trying to get me, like, ‘Oh, I think you should be Butch.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t wanna be Butch! Please don’t make me Butch.’
“It’s funny that Pete has it now. He’s so talented, man, that a name is not gonna hold him back. He’s awesome.”
James was released from his WWE contract in 2016, after three years with the company.
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Transcription via Sportskeeda.
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