"TV match of the year" - Dutch Mantell lavishes praise on AEW Rampage match (Exclusive)
Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell thinks the TNT Championship bout from this week's episode of AEW Rampage was the best TV match of the year so far.
In the opening clash of the Friday night show, Sammy Guevara defended his title against Darby Allin and Andrade El Idolo in a three-way match. The action-packed affair left the Orlando fans thrilled as all three performers had their moments during the nearly 15-minute match.
In the end, The Spanish God retained his TNT Title after pinning Andrade. One among the many who are in awe of the bout is Dutch Mantell.
On the latest episode of Sportskeeda's Smack Talk, the former manager stated that the triple threat clash was fast-paced and logical. Mantell also appreciated the bout's structure, saying it was very well "laid out."
Here's what Dutch Mantell said:
"I don't usually vote match of the year, but that has to be the TV match of the year. A lot of these matches don't have logic to them, they just do stuff for the sake of it. But I liked Andrade rolling out of the ring as it looked like two guys (Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara) were gonna team up on him. He goes down, they were chasing him, that made sense. That was a very, very good match and well laid out." (From 43:03 - 43:50)
Check out the full review of Rampage and SmackDown below:
Dutch Mantell wants AEW star Darby Allin to bulk up
Though Mantell appreciated Darby Allin's performance in the match, he expressed his unhappiness with the former TNT Champion's physique.
The WWE legend stated that if Allin gained a few pounds, his chances of getting injured during matches would reduce drastically.
"If he gained 20 pounds, he'll be a lot better off. He can get hurt, he's skinny. There's nothing to pad him up a little bit," Mantell said. (From 44:30 - 44:36)
The #AHFO's @AndradeElIdolo, @MATTHARDYBRAND & @IsiahKassidy will face the team of @sammyguevara, @DarbyAllin & @Sting in #AEW's first ever Tornado Trios match at #AEWRevolution LIVE on PPV THIS SUNDAY at 8pm ET! https://t.co/eWOIafCG3g
Fans of Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, and Andrade are in for another treat as three would also be in action at AEW Revolution 2022. At the March 6th pay-per-view, Guevara, Allin, and Sting would team up to square off against Matt Hardy, Andrade, and Isiah Kassidy in a six-man tag team match.
Do you agree with Dutch Mantell's opinion on the opening match of AEW Rampage? Sound off in the comments section below.
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