Butch is looking up to legends like Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) and William Regal as he transitions from Pete Dunne, the tough competitor, to Butch, the comedic character fans now see on WWE SmackDown.
The former NXT UK Champion arrived on the blue brand in March under his new name, and he had a drastically different character. Whereas fans had known him as “The Bruiserweight, Butch was quickly established as a loose cannon who often throws temper tantrums. The change to his name and gimmick have been quite divisive among fans, but in an interview with Alistair McGeorge of Metro, Butch explained that Regal and Bryan thrived when they played comedy roles, and it’s important to showcase variety as a performer.
“My biggest inspirations in wrestling are people like Regal – some of his best work was the straightlaced stuff later in his career, right? But earlier in his run he was the commissioner doing all sorts of funny stuff,” said Butch. “People like Daniel Bryan, when he was here – part of what got [him], where he was, was the stuff with Kane. Everyone has variety, you can’t just be one thing forever and I’ve been with the company for six years.”
Butch also noted that this stretch of his career is helping him broaden his horizons as he had largely played the same character since 2016, aside from his brief tag team run with Riddle in NXT.
“It’s refreshing for me personally, to be able to focus on something else and have a different approach to it,” said Butch. “And sort of broaden my horizons with wrestling because it’s been so long.”
The SmackDown star went on to emphasize that he views this run as “an amazing opportunity”, and he’s embracing it. Moving forward, he stated that he’s excited to see what the future holds.
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