"Stupid finish" – WWE should not have let former world champion win, says 73-year-old veteran (Exclusive)
Former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defeated LA Knight on last week's SmackDown, but Dutch Mantell thought the booking was a mistake.
It all started with Knight attempting to pitch how good it would be for WrestleMania if he were on the show. This prompted New Day's Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to confront the heel star on WWE SmackDown. They argued that it would take years to make a "WrestleMania moment" and that LA Knight has done nothing to orchestrate such an unforgettable moment early in his main roster career.
The war of words led to a match between Knight and Kingston on SmackDown, where the former WWE Champion emerged victorious. Dutch Mantell discussed the segment on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk and criticized the finish. He labeled the ending "stupid" and said:
"I didn't think LA Knight would get over, especially since they paired him up with Bray Wyatt from the beginning. But he has kind of gotten over. Hey, let me talk to ya. They kinda getting with that now. What I didn't understand was, leading into the finish, blowing the trombone in his face, I have never seen that before. Stupid finish." [46:17- 46:40]
https://t.co/fy0CCsAhv6
Mantell also argued that LA Knight should have defeated Kofi Kinston on WWE SmackDown. He admitted to not being a fan of Knight in the beginning. However, he has started liking Knight's work on the blue brand. Dutch Mantell felt it would have been better for the budding star to go over Kofi Kingston somehow and said:
"And I don't know why they beat LA Knight. They kind of need heels. I said he was not going to get over when they put him with Bray Wyatt first. He didn't emerge there with heat. But he is kind of growing on me a little bit. Putting him in with Kofi Kingston and then he gets beaten. I was like, wait a minute, I wouldn't have done that. I would have put him over Kofi somehow." [46:41- 47:16]
You can watch the full video below:
LA Knight faced Bray Wyatt on WWE's Road to WrestleMania live event
On Saturday, Bray Wyatt returned to in-ring action at a WWE house show in Rockford for a Lights Out Street Fight against LA Knight which the former Universal Champion won.
The two superstars previously locked horns in a Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match at Royal Rumble, in which Wyatt also emerged victorious.
LA Knight and Bray Wyatt in a Lights out Street fight! #WWERockford https://t.co/k3DfY4dU5F
Bray previously revealed that he would go after the winner of Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley at Elimination Chamber. The All Mighty picked up the win after The Beast's low blow forced a controversial finish to their match. Lashley has since acknowledged Bray's warning and said he wouldn't be intimidated by the creepy promos.
On the other hand, Brock Lesnar is surprisingly headed towards a first-time-ever match. MVP called out The Beast and announced that Omos had challenged him to a match at WrestleMania. He demanded Brock Lesnar show up on WWE RAW this week and accept Omos' challenge. It remains to be seen if The Beast will oblige on tonight's show.
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