"They're writing for an audience of one" - Wrestling veteran comments on Vince McMahon's backstage mood; if things can get chaotic in WWE (Exclusive)
Dutch Mantell has opened up on whether things can get chaotic backstage in WWE. The wrestling veteran disclosed that Vince McMahon would go off on a tirade if he was in a bad mood.
Mantell, who worked in WWE under the ring name Zeb Colter, managed several stars, including Cesaro and former world champions Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger. He parted ways with the company in 2016.
While discussing the Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards with Riju Dasgupta, Mantell disclosed if things got chaotic behind the scenes. He mentioned that they can, as the shows are written only for Vince McMahon.
"It can be. Because the writers, they're writing for an audience of one... And when you go in, and when I used to go in, you know, I was supposed to show up at two o'clock. I've always been fairly on time, and you could actually feel the vibe when you walk in. I've always been able to do that, because you could almost decide, and I think in the first two or three minutes, what kind of mood Vince is in. Now, if Vince is in a good mood, if you walk by the writer room and they're all going 'doodoodoo doodoodeedoo,' they're happy. Because Vince is not on a tirade. But when you walk in and they're like this 'Oh my God, Vince is gonna fire...' He's raising hell," Mantell said. (8:19-9:38)
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Dutch Mantell discusses how Vince McMahon changes things at the last minute
WWE produces several hours of programming every week on TV, and the scripts for major shows such as RAW and SmackDown often get changed at the last minute. Vince McMahon is known for tearing up the script and rewriting it just before it goes live.
Dutch Mantell also touched on the subject. He recalled scripts and lineups getting changed moments before the shows.
"The lineup comes out at about four o'clock and you got two hours live to do. And your agents are waiting, and the talent is waiting, the referees are waiting, and everybody's waiting to see because they haven't released it yet, and then he can go past that, and then finally the word circulates that they're back in the back and rewriting everything. So they took a show that should've been completed maybe five days earlier, and they're still writing it and changing everything. And that's happened two or three times... A lot of things get changed and sometimes things get changed on the spur of the moment," Mantell recalled. (9:38-10:57)
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What do you think of Dutch Mantell's comments? Are you surprised by the last minute production changes WWE goes through before their shows? Sound off in the comments below.
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