WWE

WWE chairman Vince McMahon is very happy with the idea of a SmackDown star.

On the March 11 edition of SmackDown, Pete Dunne debuted on the main roster under a new name, Butch. He joined the brand and aligned with Sheamus and Ridge Holland to become “The Brawling Brutes”.

This name change upset and confused many fans due to his history and success in NXT.

Speaking with Alistair McGeorge of Metro, Butch addressed the change and the reaction to it.

He said:

“I knew it was coming. I didn’t know the name Butch specifically, but I figured there would be a name change, I knew that would be the case. I knew there would be multiple changes alongside that, so I went in with a very open mind. I was aware of that [the backlash], and that’s quite nervewracking at the time ’cause you know the reaction that’s coming from people. But, you just have to tune out from that and focus on what you can, and that’s the quality of the work you put out. Seeing it catch on in different places, it’s almost more rewarding because I know who I am with Pete Dunne and the Bruiserweight, that’s established. But to start establishing something new is a really rewarding process.”

Butch went on to say that Vince McMahon was very happy with the change and the idea of the character.

He said:

“He seems really into this, as you can imagine. He seems really into the idea of Butch. It is entertaining. Not that I want my NXT work to vanish, it never will – it’s always gonna be there, and I hope people can always appreciate it. But if you could do that and you could start all over again, and this is me coming in fresh to the company, I think there’d be a lot of people who’d look at it through a different lens.”

Butch teamed up with Sheamus and Ridge Holland in a loss to Drew McIntyre and The New Day in six man tag team action on last Friday’s episode of SmackDown.

For the full results of the show, click here.

Quotes via Fightful

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• Butch
• wwe nxt
• Vince McMahon
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