"He is the Rookie of the Year "- Dutch Mantell heaps praise on 35-year-old WWE SmackDown star (Exclusive)
Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell, also known as Zeb Colter, shared his thoughts on Gunther and his match against Xavier Woods on SmackDown.
The Ring General has been unstoppable since moving up to the main roster and is amid one of the longest Intercontinental Championship reigns of all time. He defended the title against Xavier Woods on this SmackDown. While the challenger put on an excellent fight, Gunther was able to retain the title in the end.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell stated that Gunther makes his opponents look credible, an ability that will be very well-liked by wrestling legend Bret Hart.
"They found something in Gunther that they need to really protect, because he has a long run there. We're talking about Bret Hart saying things about AEW. He would love Gunther, because Gunther makes every opponent he beats look like a chore. Like, he really had to struggle to get past them. He made Xavier Woods look like a champion tonight. Both men looked in better shape than they went in."
The former WWE manager added that The Ring General is the Rookie of the Year for him:
"I like champions like that. I think that chop that Gunther has, it must sound really loud in the building. People, when they hear that, they go, 'Wow, he's knocking the living crap outta him.' And he doesn't mind getting hit back either. Gunther to me, he is the Rookie of the Year as far as I am concerned." [52:29 to 53:52]
Check out the entire video down below:
In case you missed it, you can check out the complete SmackDown results and highlights by clicking here.
Gunther could feud with Big E upon his return to WWE
While Xavier Woods may have come up short against Gunther, it seems like his stablemate Big E will have a chance to avenge his loss. According to WRKD Wrestling, a feud between The New Day and Imperium has been pitched backstage in WWE for a long time, with The Ring General vs. Big E being the centerpiece of the rivalry.
One long term pitch backstage within WWE has been for Xavier Woods, and a fully healed Big E and Kofi Kingston to feud with Imperium, once Big E and Kingston are ready to return.
The “centerpiece” for the feud would be Big E vs. Gunther.
- per @WRKDWrestling https://t.co/xN95bmUTLy
Big E has been out of action for a year after suffering a neck injury in a tag team match against Sheamus and Ridge Holland. The former WWE Champion recently revealed that he has no functional issues and feels great but will need to sit down with doctors again to talk about his in-ring return.
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