Pete Dunne is back: WWE confirms name change on SmackDown

Butch is officially no more.

On Friday night’s WWE SmackDown, Butch’s name was changed back to Pete Dunne. The name change had been teased last week in a segment with Dunne and Tyler Bate. Dunne & Bate teamed together to defeat Pretty Deadly tonight.

“This was the missing piece,” Corey Graves said on commentary. “We have talked for weeks about something of an identity crisis being suffered by the man then known as Butch. This is a Bruiserweight. Perhaps the most sadistic technical mastermind in the game – Pete Dunne.”

Dunne showed an aggressive side throughout the match and got the victory for his team after snapping Elton Prince’s fingers and hitting the Bitter End.

On the January 5 edition of SmackDown, Dunne and Bate reunited when Bate made his WWE main roster debut. They defeated Pretty Deadly that night as well. Dunne and Bate have been linked together throughout their careers both as rivals and as stablemates in British Strong Style.

Dunne was given the name Butch when he was called up to the WWE main roster in 2022. He was a member of The Brawling Brutes with Sheamus and Ridge Holland until the faction recently disbanded.

Dunne is a former NXT United Kingdom Champion, holding the title from May 2017 to April 2019.

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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.

In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.