"They just came up that day and took him away" - Former manager details how WWE buried Cesaro (Exclusive)
Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell recently spoke about how WWE mismanaged Cesaro back in 2013-14 when the superstar was most popular with the fans.
This week, PWInsider reported that Cesaro had left WWE after his contract expired and the two sides could not come to an agreement on a new contract. This report was later also confirmed by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful. Subsequently, fans and superstars took to social media to thank The Swiss Superman for his time in the company.
Dutch Mantell also spoke about Cesaro on this week's episode of Smack Talk with Rick Ucchino and Sid Pullar III. Mantell said that WWE destroyed Cesaro's push when they moved him from the Real Americans and paired him with Paul Heyman.
Here's what Mantell had to say:
"I thought it sucked. I thought they didn't put any thought in it because that heated up Cesaro. That got him hot with Jack [Swagger]. You could tell, when I would go out there with those two guys, those people would kind of stand up. They were interested in that 'We the people' gimmick." [from 11:43 onwards]
Mantell detailed that pairing the Swiss Superman with Heyman hurt his momentum as the latter was one of the most hated personalities in WWE after Brock Lesnar beat the Undertaker at WrestleMania 30.
"They just came up that day and they just took him away. They said, 'We want to get him over and Paul to get him over.' And I'm thinking, 'Are you kidding me? How is Paul Heyman going to get him over more than the thing you got him in now?' And then how long was he with Heyman?" Mantell added.
You can watch the full video here:
Dutch Mantell and Cesaro worked together as part of the Real Americans
Cesaro and Jack Swagger formed a tag team called the Real Americans with Dutch Mantell as their manager. The team went on to have memorable feuds with the likes of Primetime Players, Los Matadores, Santino Marella & The Great Khali, and many more.
The team split up after WrestleMania 30 when the Swiss Superman revealed himself to be a Paul Heyman guy.
"At a combined weight of 507 pounds. The team of Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger. The REAL! AMERICANS!"
#Battleground2013 https://t.co/pekpTzvDcj
It now remains to be seen where Cesaro would land up for the next chapter of his wrestling career.
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