15 WWE Gimmick Changes That IMMEDIATELY Backfired
10. Pete Dunne Goes Scrappy Doo As Butch
Insert that .GIF of Scrappy Doo angling for a fight then being picked up by a monster from Scooby Doo here.
Anyone who watched either NXT UK or the core NXT brand before 11 March 2022 could tell you that 'Bruiserweight' Pete Dunne was one of the brightest in-ring prospects on the roster. All he'd need is a little backing and maybe fleshed out once he hit bigger shows like Raw and SmackDown. Then, that aforementioned 11 March date hit and Dunne was introduced as a WWE main roster full-timer.
He debuted in a new faction alongside established star Sheamus and fellow newbie Ridge Holland as the Brawling Brutes. It was certainly some call to turn Pete from credible ‘Bruiserweight’ to a teenage delinquent who was midway between Scrappy and someone from Peaky Blinders. Dunne never seemed into the role himself, but he did do his best with it. Fans, meanwhile, rejected it outright.
The Butch stink didn’t wear off until 2024 when he started teaming with Tyler Bate as the New Catch Republic, but it has badly damaged Dunne’s WWE career to the point he’s barely used these days. Way to go, eh? That's the total opposite of what giving somebody fresh direction is supposed to achieve.
Being brutally honest, Pete looked silly in his Peaky Blinders wannabe get-up. Trying to piggy back on the success of a popular TV show or movie is nothing new for wrestling, but this didn't click with fans, and neither did Sheamus claiming they were honouring his Celtic roots by eh...being thuggish street brawlers.
Butch was the worst part about the act, to be fair. It might've been more palatable had WWE not gone too cartoony with things.