Legend says Vince McMahon did not understand rehired WWE Superstar (Exclusive)
According to Dutch Mantell, Vince McMahon never "got" Bray Wyatt's vision during the popular superstar's previous WWE stint.
Wyatt worked for WWE under McMahon's leadership between 2009 and 2021. The 35-year-old surprisingly received his release last year despite being one of the company's most prominent talents.
Mantell, formerly known as Zeb Colter in WWE, discussed Wyatt's recent return on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk show with Rick Ucchino and Sid Pullar III:
"I think Bray Wyatt right now he's in control of his own destiny, and I think that's what he was looking for. I think before they listened to him, but I don't think Vince got it the way he got it. Now the new regime may get it, so I think it works well for him. Now we'll see what he can do. He has the following, so we'll see if he can carry that out." [13:43 – 14:12]
Wyatt is the highest-profile person to return to WWE since Triple H replaced Vince McMahon as the Head of Creative in July. Braun Strowman and Karrion Kross are among the other star names who have returned.
Watch the video above to hear Mantell's thoughts on Wyatt possibly performing as The Fiend again.
Dutch Mantell's own experience with Vince McMahon
Mantell appeared in WWE as the Zeb Colter character between 2013 and 2016. He initially performed as Jack Swagger's manager before forming alliances with Alberto Del Rio and Cesaro.
If anyone recals, @ClaudioCSRO and @RealJakeHager were a tag team in WWE as the Real Americans with Zeb Colter
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When Vince McMahon oversaw creative, Mantell often had no idea what he was doing until the last minute:
"Hell, I never knew where me and Jack were going. We were probably going to hell for all I knew! You show up, 'What are we doing?' 'We're still deciding.' But we weren't the top guy like Bray was, and they may not even know where they were going because, again, we were back in Vince's day and things could change on a dime." [13:02 – 13:28]
Mantell also recalled how Vince McMahon sometimes changed the entire script two hours before WWE television shows began:
"He could just go in there and change his mind, rewrite the show. They rewrote the show sometimes at five o'clock in the afternoon. The whole show, they'd rewrite it. They'd keep the stuff that they couldn't change and they'd rewrite the rest of it." [13:29 – 13:41]
After 40 years in charge of WWE, McMahon retired in July amid sexual misconduct allegations. Stephanie McMahon is now the company's Chairwoman and co-CEO, a role she shares with Nick Khan.
What do you think the future holds for Bray Wyatt in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.