Search Results: "dunne"

NEWS

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Plans To Return SmackDown Star To Previous Gimmick

March 16, 2023

He’s back? There are all kinds of ways to present talented wrestlers but not all of them are going to be hits. Occasionally you will see someone go from an idea that works very well to something that just misses and there is little way to predict what is going to happen. That was the case again recently in WWE, but now there is a chance of switching back to what worked before. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: He’s A Fan: Undertaker Endorses His Choice To Defeat Roman Reigns In March 2022, former NXT star Pete Dunne made his full time debut on SmackDown as part of the Brawling Brutes. However, Dunne’s name had been changed to Butch, with his teammates saying that is how they had known him for years. Butch also was now a wild man who would run around the arena and try to fight any opponent he could, unlike his more calm demeanor before the name change. According to WrestleVotes via GiveMeSport, Triple H is planning to return Butch to his former name by the end of the year at the latest. Butch ha..

NEWS

Possible Reasons For Pete Dunne’s WWE Name Change (And They’re Bad)

March 12, 2022

There is a reason for that. Having the right name is one of the most important things that a wrestler can have. The wrong name can cause a problem for any wrestler as they might not be taken as seriously as they are supposed to be. Sometimes you see someone have their names changed in a way that seems to be a bit odd. That was the case this week, and now we might know what happened. Pete Dunne made his SmackDown debut this week as the new associate of Sheamus and Ridge Holland, though he is now known as Butch. According to Fightful Select, the speculation is that the name is designed to be a Bushwhackers reference, as Holland’s real first name is Luke, who teamed with Butch as the Bushwhackers. In addition, a WWE alumnus felt that the name was a reference to the Butch character on the Little Rascals shorts, whose original run ended in 1944. Opinion: I have no idea why WWE decided to change Dunne’s name and I think that might be for the best. This feels like their recent change from W..

NEWS

Big E.’s Injury Has Changed WrestleMania 38 Plans

March 12, 2022

What could have been. Injuries are one of the worst things that can happen to anyone in wrestling. In addition and far secondary to the health issues that can come with them, they can derail someone’s storyline in the blink of an eye. No matter what they might have had going on, things can be in need of a change. That is the case again this week, as a horrible injury has changed some WrestleMania plans. Big E. suffered a broken neck this week on SmackDown, when he landed on his head from a belly to belly suplex on the floor from Ridge Holland. According to Fightful Select, this will likely change WWE’s original plans for WrestleMania 38, which would have seen New Day face Holland, Sheamus and Butch, better known as Pete Dunne, who debuted before the SmackDown match. There is no word on what will be done with the match. Opinion: What matters most here is Big E.’s health of course, but this is the kind of thing that is going to have quite the ripple effect throughout WWE. I know they c..

NEWS

Pat McAfee To Wrestle At WrestleMania 38

March 4, 2022

Now that’s a SHAHT AHT! During his first live interview in 15 years on today’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” Vince McMahon invited the host to compete at WrestleMania 38. The invitation was extended due to the former NFL player and Smackdown commentator’s tremendous connection to the WWE Universe. You can see the announcement below: [This post contains video, click to play] McAfee last competed in a WWE ring at NXT Takeover: WarGames 2020. McAfee, along with Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch defeated The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish). It is unknown at this time who his opponent will be. Editor’s Opinion: YES! This is awesome! I remember thinking all during the pandemic how absolutely terrific he has been at everything that he has done in WWE. Not only has become the best commentator in the company on Smackdown, but his in-ring work was fantastic and he has earned the right to compete at the Showcase of the Immortals. I have..

NEWS

NXT Live Coverage And Results – February 15, 2022

February 16, 2022

NXT Date: February 15, 2022 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness It’s a big show this week with Vengeance Day. That means the card is stacked, including the finals of the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and a main event of Bron Breakker defending the NXT Title against Santos Escobar. Other than that, maybe we get a surprise or two as well. Let’s get to it. The opening video features Toxic Attraction texting each other about tonight’s show. I’m sure one of them being around a pool, one of them being in lingerie and one of them looking at herself in a mirror is just a coincidence. Pete Dunne vs. Tony D’Angelo In a weaponized steel cage. D’Angelo comes out in a rather expensive car. It’s a brawl to start with D’Angelo being sent into the cage but coming back with a hard slam for a breather. D’Angelo goes for a tool box but Dunne slams the lid onto it instead. Dunne uses a wrench to bend the fingers back, though the fingers ..

NEWS

Surprising Names Compete Before This Week’s WWE SmackDown

January 22, 2022

He might be around more often. The amount of roster changes that NXT has undergone in the last year and a half has been staggering. There are very few people from the previous generation of NXT still around and the few that are are not exactly receiving a lot of attention. Some of them might be in line for a call up though, and now two new names may be joining that list. According to PWInsider.com, both Roderick Strong and LA Knight were backstage at this week’s SmackDown. As seen on Twitter, the two faced off in a dark match before the show went on the air. This comes just after NXT’s Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne have been working dark matches, as well as matches for WWE Main Event. There is no word on if any of the four will be called up to the main roster. Opening match in Nashville LA Knight vs Roderick Strong @battlegroundihr pic.twitter.com/dwnZZanqQ3 — BATTLE (@battleonair) January 22, 2022 Knight has been in NXT since 2021 and is a former Million Dollar Champion. Before hi..

NEWS

Moving On Up: Two NXT Stars May Be On Their Way To The Main Roster

January 12, 2022

They could be on their way up. There have been a lot of changes in WWE over the last year and those changes seem to be continuing. NXT has seen some of the biggest changes of them all, as several of its wrestlers have been released from the company. That does not leave a lot of depth on the roster, but things might be about to get even weaker still, as some big names could be leaving. According to Wrestlinginc.com, NXT’s Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne were both in action on this week’s edition of Main Event. While not confirmed, this could suggest that the two of them are on their way to the main roster. Ciampa lost the NXT Title to Bron Breakker last week, while Dunne was defeated by Tony D’Angelo on this week’s show. They have both been wrestling on recent WWE live events. Those are some talented people. Check out who might be coming to the main roster: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] ..

NEWS

WWE Using NXT Stars At Live Events Due To Coronavirus Issues

December 27, 2021

That’s how they’re dealing with things. The Coronavirus is hitting the wrestling world all over again and there is nothing to suggest that it is going away anytime soon. This can cause a heck of a lot of problems in a hurry and that is the case with WWE. The company has a lot of resources available though, and now they are going to have to use some more to their advantage. WWE is holding its annual post Christmas live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City this weekend and a surprise match has been announced. The Garden’s Twitter account has announced that NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa will be defending his title against Pete Dunne. According to PWInsider.com, the match is also being added to this week’s Monday Night Raw live events in an effort to make up for some of the wrestlers taken off the shows due to Coronavirus issues. JUST ANNOUNCED: @NXTCiampa defends his #WWENXT Championship against @PeteDunneYxB TONIGHT at #WWEMSG! ??: https://t.co/oHUN8uVOL1 pic.twitter.com/JK7..

NEWS

Top NXT Star Signs Extension, But It’s Not A Very Long One

November 25, 2021

Stick around for a bit. There have been all kinds of wrestlers leaving WWE over the last few months and that might continue to be the case for a long time to come. What makes things interesting is that there have been some wrestlers who have left on their own accord, which can make for some very important decisions. Now we have another one from a wrestler in a prominent spot. According to Fightful Select, Johnny Gargano has agreed to a one week extension with WWE, meaning that he will be with the company until December 10. This will allow Gargano to wrestle in WarGames on December 5. Gargano has yet to sign a new long term deal and there is no word on where he plans to go next. He will be teaming with Tommaso Ciampa, LA Knight and Pete Dunne to face Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Grayson Waller and Tony D’Angelo at NXT WarGames. Gargano has done well in NXT. Check out his time in the company: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [Thi..

NEWS

Several New Matches Set For NXT WarGames

November 24, 2021

The card grew. NXT has been completely changed over the last few months and you might not recognize quite a few of the people on the show at the moment. That can make for some very interesting changes and new directions, as a lot of what has worked before is gone. NXT is still trying to do something that they know work, and that will be the case again at WarGames. Now we know a lot more about what to expect. This week’s NXT saw three new matches added to WarGames, plus some gaps being filled in. The show’s main event was set, as the team of Tommaso Ciampa/Johnny Gargano/Pete Dunne/LA Knight will face Bron Breakker/Carmelo Hayes/Tony D’Angelo/Grayson Waller. The match is being set up as a battle between old school and new school, with Breakker making the announcement of the match to end the show. In addition, Kay Lee Ray has joined Raquel Gonzalez’s team in the women’s WarGames match to complete the eight woman field. In addition, a hair vs. hair match was set, with Cameron Grimes cha..

NEWS

NXT Live Coverage And Results – November 23, 2021

November 24, 2021

NXT Date: November 23, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett It’s title time as we have a pretty big main event with North American Champion Carmelo Hayes defending against Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne. NXT has a good history of setting up these title matches and then making them work, so hopefully they remember how to make it work. Let’s get to it. We open with Grayson Waller in the ring, talking about how great of an NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa really is. Waller goes on about the fans booing everyone, including John Cena and Roman Reigns, but those two are at the top of the game. It’s like people with 80,000 tweets and 3 followers don’t matter! Cue Ciampa to cut Waller off and we’re ready to go. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Grayson Waller Non-title. Ciampa isn’t having this and stomps away in the corner. A running knee puts Waller on the floor but he comes back in with a jumping neckbreaker. Now it’s Waller stomping a..

NEWS

Some Surprising Draft Picks Take Place On Monday Night Raw

October 5, 2021

Meet the new stars. WWE has so many wrestlers that it is able to separate them into three different groups. That is not something many promotions can do, but it is nice to have that many resources available. Monday Night Raw and SmackDown serve as the main rosters, while NXT is a developmental system. Sometimes you see stars come up though, and that was the case this week. There were some NXT names drafted this week on Monday Night Raw, with both names going to SmackDown. First up, Xia Li was selected in Round Three. Li has been part of the Tian Sha stable, along with Boa and Mei Ying. Later, Ridge Holland was selected in Round Six. Holland returned from a broken ankle earlier this summer and continued his alliance with Pete Dunne. You might need to get used to them. Check out the new stars in action: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is one of the things that can be the m..

NEWS

Several NXT Stars Turned Down Contract Extensions For Similar Reasons

September 18, 2021

They aren’t interested. The rise of AEW has done a lot of things to the wrestling industry but one of the most important is giving wrestlers another major place to go. WWE has been the only major game in town for such a long itme that it means a lot to offer a different option. It allows the wrestlers a bit of freedom, and it seems that some of them exercised that freedom in a major way. According to Fightful Select, a number of NXT wrestlers were offered the chance to sign contract extensions in 2019 but declined. Some of the names who did not re-sign at the time were Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole and Pete Dunne. The deals were said to be for significantly less money than main roster deals, leaving the wrestlers with little incentive to re-sign. Cole has already left for AEW, though Dunne did eventually sign an extension with WWE. It is not clear whether Gargano will re-sign or not. Those are some talented names. Check out who WWE was attempting to keep: [This post contains video, clic..

NEWS

NXT Results – September 14, 2021

September 15, 2021

NXT Date: September 14, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett We have arrived as it is time for the all new NXT, featuring a lot of the same people and whatever angles need to be wrapped up. I’m almost terrified of what this is going to include as the usual suspects from Raw are in charge. We have a wedding and a vacant World Title to fill though so let’s get to it. We open with a quick recap of Samoa Joe vacating the NXT Title and the setup of the four way for the vacant championship. Tommaso Ciampa doesn’t care which NXT it is because he’ll be champion. Pete Dunne thinks it is time for a Bruiserweight Champion. Kyle O’Reilly is ready to achieve a goal sixteen years in the making. LA Knight knows Samoa Joe was scared of him and now three men are stuck in the same spot. Someone named Bron Breaker (better known as Bronson Rechsteiner) comes up to Knight and says he wants a chance to prove himself. Knight tell..

NEWS

New NXT Champion Crowned After Surprise Change In Title Match

September 15, 2021

They needed someone new. NXT has been completely relaunched as NXT 2.0 and that means things are being completely reset. There is a new set, new wrestlers and new stories, but something had to change on top as well. Samoa Joe has vacated the NXT Title due to injury and a new champion had to be crowned. That was taken care of during this week’s edition of NXT. This week on NXT, Tommaso Ciampa won the NXT Title in a fatal four way match. Ciampa pinned LA Knight in a match that also included Pete Dunne and Von Wagoner. Kyle O’Reilly was originally the fourth participant in the match but was attacked by Dunne and Ridge Holland. As a result, General Manager William Regal inserted Wagoner into the spot in Wagoner’s NXT debut. He has been here before. Check out Ciampa’s time around the NXT Title: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is a smart and safe pick, as Ciampa has the resume..

NEWS

WWE Re-Signs Former Champion To Long Term Deal

September 14, 2021

That’s a win for WWE. There have been a lot of roster moves over the last few months in WWE and there is a good chance that several more are coming. Above all else, there is a question of who is going to go where now that AEW has become a new player for wrestlers’ services. WWE has already lost a few names to AEW but they have one important name locked up. According to Fightful Select, WWE has re-signed Pete Dunne to a new contract, keeping him with the company for several years. This comes after Dunne’s contract was reportedly set to expire later in this year. WWE COO Triple H was said to be directly involved with the contract negotiations. Dunne debuted in WWE in 2016 and is a former NXT United Kingdom Champion and NXT Tag Team Champion. Dunne has been a star under the WWE banner. Check out what he has done so far: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is a big win for WWE a..

NEWS

VIDEO: Stable Splits Up During This Week’s NXT

September 8, 2021

It was nice while it lasted. Factions and groups have been a part of wrestling for years and that has certainly been the case in WWE as well. The company has come up with all kinds of alliances over its history with some of them being more memorable than others. Almost all of them have to come to an end at some point though and that was the case again this week. The main event of this week’s edition of NXT saw MSK successfully defend their Tag Team Titles against Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. Following the loss, Lorcan and Burch’s friends Ridge Holland and Pete Dunne came to the ring and attacked the two of them to end the show. This came after Dunne had told Lorcan and Burch to win the titles and take out MSK for good. The four have teamed together on and off for about a year, though Burch missed several months due to an injury. That was a nasty moment. Check out the match and brawl, thoughts from Holland and Dunne and what the team looked like before: [This post contains video, cli..

NEWS

Get The Paperwork Ready: WWE Making Effort To Re-Sign Star

August 26, 2021

Lock him up. One of the biggest changes taking place over the last few months has been the amount of wrestlers leaving WWE. Some of them have been thrown out the door due to budget cuts, but others have allowed their contracts to expire without signing a new deal with the company. WWE is going to be wanting to sign some wrestlers up, and now it seems they have a new target. According to Fightful Select, WWE is attempting to sign Pete Dunne to a contract extension, though it is not clear how long of a deal WWE is offering. There is no word on if Dunne has signed the deal or if he is interested in signing a new deal with the company. Dunne signed with WWE in 2017, though it is not clear when his current contract will expire. He is currently wrestling in NXT. Dunne is worth keeping around. Check out what WWE wants to re-sign: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is the kind of t..

NEWS

Here’s Who Will Be Some Of The Top NXT Stars Going Forward

August 25, 2021

You need some major names. We are in the middle of a transitional period in NXT and that is going to be the case for a long time to come. WWE has not been thrilled with the way things have gone and it is time for some changes to be made. This will involve a retooling of the NXT roster, but not everyone is going to be gone. Now we might have an idea of who will be filling some of the most important roles. According to PWInsider.com, Johnny Gargano is likely to be the main heel in NXT going forward. In addition, Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne will be some of the roster’s major villains. This comes after Adam Cole and Karrion Kross finished up with NXT on Sunday at Takeover 36. There is no word on who these three will be feuding with in the future or who will be the major babyfaces on the show. Those are some big names. Check out what they have been up to lately: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to ..

NEWS

Ouch: NXT Star Out Of Action Indefinitely

August 25, 2021

It could be awhile. There are all kinds of wrestlers on the NXT roster and most of them are incredibly talented. It isn’t easy to make it onto NXT television and it means a lot to get a spot on the show. Therefore, it is kind of sad to see someone losing their spot, but in this case someone is leaving because they seem primed to come back in a big way, at least in theory. This week’s edition of NXT featured a match between Ridge Holland and Timothy Thatcher. Holland won the match, with a brawl breaking out after, involving Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch on Holland’s side and Tommaso Ciampa helping Thatcher. The numbers game got the better of Thatcher and Ciampa, with Holland hitting Thatcher in the arm with his baton. Holland also hit Thatcher in the throat, which left Thatcher down. NXT has since sent out a tweet saying that Thatcher will be out indefinitely due to the attack. There is no word on when Thatcher will return to NXT TV. MEDICAL UPDATE: Timothy Thatcher is out i..