"Don't screw it up"- Veteran says he sees "shades of Stone Cold" in WWE SmackDown star (Exclusive)

Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell, aka Zeb Colter, recently praised LA Knight, stating that he sees "shades of Stone Cold" in the SmackDown star.

LA Knight has got massively over with the fans since transitioning back to his old gimmick. The 40-year-old often receives the loudest pop from the live crowd despite being on the losing end of the majority of his matches.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell stressed that the former NXT star should remain on the blue brand after the Draft. The former WWE manager also compared Knight to Stone Cold Steve Austin.

"I would leave him [LA Knight] on SmackDown. The old saying is when you have success with a guy, don't screw it up. You could put him on RAW anytime if you wanted to. I see in this guy, shades of Stone Cold, I don't know why. He walks out there like Stone Cold, and people liked it and they like him. He's a heel they like. So you take a heel they like, you can do anything with him. When they had him in Maximum Male Models, they wouldn't have last chance in hell to get him over. But they put him away by himself, he's getting over. He should've won tonight, which he did," said the veteran. [From 34:15 to 35:11]

Stone Cold believes LA Knight has a great future in WWE

Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the most iconic wrestlers of all time, and praise from him certainly means a lot to any current performer. During a recent interview, The Texas Rattlesnake mentioned that LA Knight is doing great and has the potential to achieve more:

"I said ‘hey man, make sure your cardio is supreme’ and I said 'just go do you'. So that guy can talk a blue streak. He’s [LA Knight] a great worker. He’s got a good look, good energy. So I think he’s doing great. I think he can ascend to a higher level, and I think he will. So I think they guy’s doing awesome," said Steve Austin.

LA Knight gets a Roar from the crowd‼️ With an insane Display of athleticism‼️ Superplexing Butch from the top Rope 💥#Smackdown https://t.co/MkAQViMze7

LA Knight was in action on this week's SmackDown, where he defeated Butch in a singles match. The 40-year-old could get drafted to the red brand on Night Two of WWE Draft 2023.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the YouTube video if you use any quotes from the article.