Former WWE manager recalls how 42-year-old star was "dead in hell" after being paired with Paul Heyman (Exclusive)

Former WWE on-screen manager Dutch Mantell spoke about how Cesaro lost his push in 2014 after siding with Paul Heyman.

Cesaro competed in the first-ever Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. After outlasting several superstars, he eliminated The Big Show to win the match. However, The Swiss Cyborg then abandoned his manager Zeb Colter and joined Paul Heyman.

On the Smack Talk podcast this week, Mantell recalled how Cesaro was a fan favorite when he became the winner of the inaugural Andre the Giant Battle Royal. He detailed that Cesaro was getting a great reception but WWE paired him with Paul Heyman and the star lost all his momentum after a few short weeks.

"It did a lot for Cesaro when he won it. And then they put him with Heyman and four weeks later, he was dead in hell." [From 59:23 - 59:34]

You can watch the full video here:

You can catch the full results of SmackDown here.

Andre the Giant Battle Royal will take place on WWE SmackDown

A regular feature of WrestleMania weekend over the last few years, Andre the Giant Battle features top stars from both brands in a bid to win the coveted trophy.

NEXT WEEK on #SmackDown:

😤 @WWERomanReigns and @CodyRhodes meet face-to-face one final time before #WrestleMania!

🏆 Andre the Giant Battle Royal returns!

👊 @DMcIntyreWWE and @WWESheamus to warily take on #Imperium

Don't miss the FINAL #SmackDown before #WrestleMania! https://t.co/vY969FF9Gf

This week WWE announced that Andre the Giant Battle Royal will take place next week on SmackDown before WrestleMania. The winner of the Battle Royal will join an elite list of winners. Former victors include Cesaro, The Big Show, Baron Corbin, Mojo Rawley, Matt Hardy, Braun Strowman, Jey Uso, and Madcap Moss. Mantell also stated that LA Knight could win the trophy this year.

Who do you think will win this year's iteration of Andre the Giant Battle Royal? Let us know your predictions in the comments section below.

If you use the quotes from this article, please embed the YouTube video and add a H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcript.