"He's been there for so long"- Dutch Mantell on if 36-year-old WWE star could be a world champion in future (Exclusive)
Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell recently shared his thoughts on Xavier Woods and whether the latter could be a part of the world title picture down the line.
The New Day member has been a part of WWE for nearly 13 years. However, he has featured mainly as a tag team star and has not competed much for singles titles. The 36-year-old took on Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship on this week's SmackDown, which was his first singles title match in nearly eight years.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell highlighted that WWE has not pushed Woods as the main event guy, and that's why fans often don't view him as such. The veteran also praised the former King of The Ring winner for his match on Friday.
"They [fans] don't see him there [world champion category] because they [WWE] haven't put him there. Could he get there? Yeah, he could possibly get there, but what works against Xavier [Woods] is that he's been there for so long. I think him being around for so long kinda works against him. It works against everybody because we were bit*hing like bastards 8 months ago, 'Oh God those people again and again and again and it's not exciting.' I was watching this match and there were a few times I thought, what if they let Xavier win? I enjoyed the match and Xavier did an excellent job," said Mantell. [From 55:11 to 56:39]
In case you missed it, you can check out the complete SmackDown results and highlights by clicking here.
Xavier Woods' 600-day undefeated streak comes to an end on WWE SmackDown
While Xavier Woods may not have been a part of many singles title matches, the New Day member holds an impressive record in one-on-one competition over the last two years.
The 36-year-old's loss against Gunther on this week's SmackDown was his first loss in singles matches in 600 days. His last defeat came way back in 2021 when AJ Styles defeated him.
Gunther vs. Xavier Woods was brilliant. Woods had an excellent showing as the valiant challenger.
The historic ICT title reign of Gunther continues with another quality match. https://t.co/wjwW99eIFi
After his loss against AJ Styles, Woods went on to win the King of the Ring tournament in 2021. The former tag team champion also faced Roman Reigns during his undefeated run, but the match ended in no contest after interference from The Usos.
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