"He couldn't work" - Dutch Mantell criticizes "horrible" WWE legend
Dutch Mantell believes Lex Luger was a “horrible” wrestler who cared more about his appearance than his in-ring performances.
Luger, a former WWE and WCW star, was one of the biggest names in the wrestling business in the 1980s and 1990s. At WrestleMania 11, he teamed up with The British Bulldog to defeat The Blu Brothers (w/ Mantell) in the opening match of the show.
Speaking to WSI’s James Romero, Mantell recalled how Luger’s bodybuilding attitude did not work in wrestling:
“Lex was horrible. They pushed him to the moon and back. He couldn’t work. He just couldn’t do it. He was too busy posing and flexing. When I first got in the business, they said, ‘The worst thing you can do is have a bodybuilder’s attitude.’ I said, ‘What does that mean?’ They said, ‘A guy even when you have him down, he’s posing.’” [3:07-3:36]
Luger’s biggest wrestling accomplishment arguably came in 1994 when he co-won the WWE Royal Rumble with Bret Hart. He also captured the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice.
Why Lex Luger frustrated Dutch Mantell before WrestleMania 11
Wrestlemania 11 Lex Luger & British Bulldog v Jacob & Eli Blu https://t.co/YQqe2L4is9
Lex Luger and The British Bulldog spoke to The Blu Brothers about their match for more than two and a half hours before the show.
Tired of hearing Luger pitch ideas, Dutch Mantell quickly thought of a plan for the six-minute contest and presented it to the four men:
“They went, ‘Wow, that sounds great.’ I said, ‘Damn, we could have done this almost two hours ago, and I sit here and listen to this cr*p.’ Not necessarily coming from Ron and Don [The Blu Brothers] or even Davey Boy [Bulldog]. It was all coming from Lex. He didn’t wanna do this, this wouldn’t make him look good. He thought the match was basically his,” said Mantell. [2:25-2:52]
Luger and Bulldog defeated The Blu Brothers in the shortest match of the night. The finish saw Bulldog pin Jacob Blu, better known as Don Harris, with a sunset flip to pick up the victory for his team.
Please credit WSI and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.