Changing Butch Back To Pete Dunne Has Long Been Discussed By WWE

Butch changing his name has been talked about for quite some time, according to a new report.

Pete Dunne had his name changed to Butch upon his arrival on WWE SmackDown in March 2022. Since then, many fans have hoped to see him return to his old name. This change was heavily teased during a vignette with Butch and Tyler Bate on the January 12 episode of WWE SmackDown, as Bate hinted that he had to make a name for himself.

Corey Brennan of Fightful (via Fightful Select) reports that a change back to Pete Dunne has long been discussed. Brennan cites one WWE source as saying that the tease was “exactly what it looks like.”

The report notes that the initial change to Butch received substantial pushback at the time. Brennan cites a source who noted that it was not a bad name, but WWE had already had a Hall of Famer named Butch anyway.

Butch and Bate are set to face Pretty Deadly on the January 19 episode of WWE SmackDown. Check out the card here.

WrestleZone will have coverage of SmackDown as it airs on Friday.