Butch, formerly known as Pete Dunne, is one of the better technical wrestlers on the current WWE roster. He gained fans’ respect for his in-ring prowess while establishing himself in NXT UK, where he was very successful.
When he was pushed to the main roster last year and joined Sheamus and Ridge Holland in a faction on SmackDown, WWE made the decision to change his name.
The group had a successful year overall, which included a well-regarded feud with Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci).
Since Sheamus has sided with Drew McIntyre, WWE has kept The Brawling Brutes off of television in recent months. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar), who defeated The Brawling Brutes on February 3 during SmackDown, was Butch’s last opponents on television. Since then, they have worked dark matches and worked live events.
There were rumors Butch might return to the Pete Dunne persona when Triple H took over creative last July. He did use the gimmick during a SmackDown dark match.
According to WrestleVotes, Butch is scheduled to return to his previous persona, which was Triple H’s original plan for last year before the Brawling Brutes ended and the plans were postponed. Plans are once again in place for Butch to return as Pete Dunne.
“Absolutely, I was told that it’s in the works. When Hunter came back, I was told that Pete Dunne was due to become Pete Dunne, but somebody said, to wait because The Brawling Brutes were catching on. When Pete Dunne returns, it won’t be as a member of the Brawling Brutes. I’m sure he’ll be back by the end of this year,” WrestleVotes reports.
