Dutch Mantell thinks WWE WrestleMania 39 winner wanted to lose
Legendary wrestling personality Dutch Mantell has given his thoughts on Rey Mysterio defeating Dominik Mysterio at WWE WrestleMania 39.
After refusing to fight his son for the last seven months, Rey finally agreed to face Dominik on WrestleMania Saturday. The Hall of Famer secured the win with a 619 and Frog Splash after Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny prevented Dominik from using a chain.
On his Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast, the former wrestling booker speculated that Rey likely wanted to lose the match:
"I was thinking, and I had read, that I think Rey down deep wanted to kinda do the honors for him [Dominik], and I think they overruled him there," Mantell stated. "They said, 'I think our business will overrule your personal feelings because we gotta think of our business before we think of your personal feud.' And they said that in a nice way, and they wanted him to get the win over Dominik with a little bit of help from those other two guys, and then Bad Bunny, and they were setting that up for Puerto Rico." [0:55 – 1:37]
Damian Priest and Finn Balor tried to help their Judgment Day stablemate Dominik in the closing stages of the bout. However, they were quickly outnumbered after Rey's new Latino World Order associates, Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Cruz Del Toro, got involved.
Dutch Mantell anticipates a packed crowd at WWE Backlash
On May 6, the WWE Backlash premium live event will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It will be the first time since January 2005 that a major WWE show has been held on the Caribbean island.
Backlash (2023) Poster ft. Bad Bunny
#WWE #backlash #BadBunny https://t.co/UqygFfCAku
Dutch Mantell worked in Puerto Rico during his wrestling career. The 73-year-old expects a passionate crowd at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot:
"I've seen that building, huge building, seats about 20 thousand, maybe 19-something, but pretty close to 20 thousand, and those people are loud because they take wrestling seriously in Puerto Rico," Mantell said. "They got three sports there: baseball, wrestling, and politics. They take all that seriously." [1:45 – 2:13]
Bad Bunny has been announced as the host of WWE Backlash. Although it has not been confirmed, the rapper is also expected to compete in a match after being attacked by Damian Priest on this week's RAW.
Do you think Rey Mysterio should have lost at WWE WrestleMania 39? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.