"I guess he got lonely" - Former WWE Superstar on his unexpected phone call from Vince McMahon (Exclusive)
Dutch Mantell recently recalled how he had a surprising conversation with Vince McMahon two years before joining WWE.
Mantell, formerly known as Zeb Colter, booked wrestling shows in Memphis prior to his appearances in WWE as a manager between 1995 and 1996. He initially represented The Blu Brothers (Ron and Don Harris) before forming an alliance with Bradshaw.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s “Smack Talk,” Mantell revealed that he received an unexpected phone call from McMahon to discuss the wrestling business:
“He just called me out of the blue and wanted to talk for some reason,” Mantell said. “He would just say, ‘Hey, I’m just checking on you.’ I’d never met him. He’d heard of me and of course I’d heard of him, but I’d never personally met him.” [2:19-2:33]
Mantell jokingly added that the recently retired former WWE Chairman may have phoned him out of loneliness:
“I just remember that he called me up and just wanted to chat about wrestling and how we were doing it in Memphis or how did we do it in Memphis,” the legendary booker continued. “I didn’t talk to him again for two years. I don’t know why he called. I guess he got lonely or something, wanted somebody to talk to, so I talked to him [for] about 10 or 15 minutes.” [2:34-2:58]
Watch the video above to find out Mantell’s thoughts on Triple H replacing McMahon as WWE’s creative figurehead.
Dutch Mantell learned a lot from Vince McMahon
At 77, time for me to retire.
Thank you, WWE Universe.
Then. Now. Forever. Together. #WWE #thankful
Despite his vast wrestling experience, Dutch Mantell worked for WWE as an on-screen talent and not as a key creative team member.
The 72-year-old did not have a close relationship with Vince McMahon, but he still learned from his former boss:
“I was never really, really close to him, I was just around him,” Mantell added. “But I would watch him from a distance, and sometimes you can learn a lot just by watching and listening, and instead of talking so much, listen, and you’ll learn something. That’s what I used to try to tell younger guys in the business.” [3:10-3:31]
McMahon retired last month amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Mantell speculated that WWE Superstars likely viewed the 76-year-old as “out of touch.”
Do you expect WWE’s on-screen product to drastically change following Vince McMahon’s retirement? Let us know your opinion in the comments section.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling’s “Smack Talk” and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.