The Undertaker's close friend refused a request from Vince McMahon's WWE lawyer to travel to Connecticut for a testimony (Exclusive)
Several WWE Superstars have filed lawsuits against the company over the years, and Dutch Mantell recently opened up about the one initiated by Tiger Ali Singh during the early 2000s. The former WWE manager has revealed that he rejected the offer to come to Stamford, Connecticut, after a heated conversation with Vince McMahon's lawyer, Jerry McDevitt.
Tiger Ali Singh didn't have the best of ends to his WWE career as he sued the promotion for $7 Million after claiming that they forced him to wrestle in the rain in Puerto Rico, which led to him suffering an alleged career-ending injury.
Dutch Mantell was a booker at the time in the North American country, and he received a phone call from Jerry McDevitt about traveling to Connecticut to testify in the trial. The former WWE manager recalled his exchange with Vince McMahon's long-time attorney on the latest episode of SmackTalk.
WWE did not wish to pay Mantell for the trip to America, which led to the veteran refusing McDevitt's proposal for a testimony.
"They kept trying to call me, and I wouldn't take the call; finally, I answered the phone, and it was Jerry McDevitt. I said, 'Yeah, Jerry, what can I do for you?' 'Well, Dutch, listen. We need you to come up here to Connecticut to testify in this trial.' I said about what, and he told me. I said, 'Well, I can't leave here because I'm booking here,' and he wanted me to come up there for like two weeks," revealed Mantell. I asked, 'Am I going to get paid?' He said, 'Oh, no, we can't pay you; that would be like influencing your testimony.' I said, 'Well, I'm not interested.'" [4:21 - 5:30]
Jerry McDevitt apparently got angry upon Dutch Mantell's refusal and threatened to issue a subpoena against the 73-year-old.
Mantell responded sarcastically and highlighted everything wrong with McDevitt's seemingly aggressive approach in getting him to the United States for a few weeks.
The WWE lawyer eventually gave up on his efforts as Dutch just wasn't willing to budge on his demands. McDevitt even spoke with The Undertaker, who has been a good friend of Dutch Mantell since the beginning of his career.
Mantell continued:
"You put me on that stand, and I'll gladly come. That said, you put me on that stand, Jerry, and I will refute everything you said; I will take full blame. He said, 'Okay, Dutch, I get the point.' He left me alone, and I never went to Connecticut. And he did tell The Undertaker, he said, 'That friend of yours that Dutch, he's out there, isn't he?' He said, 'Oh, yeah, he can be, but all I said was, you put me on the stand, and let's check the outcome when I get off it." [From 5:04-5:46]
Dutch Mantell sheds light on the incident that led to Tiger Ali Singh's lawsuit against WWE
Dutch Mantell was the head booker for the Puerto Rican company that had Tiger Ali Singh wrestle a match in 2000, and it should be noted that WWE still employed the son of Tiger Jeet Singh during that phase.
Tiger Ali Singh tried to start a straight edge messiah movement in WWF/E in 1997, years before CM Punk. https://t.co/mzuVFOaeB3
Mantell admitted that while the ring mat was a little wet due to the rain, Tiger's claims that he was injured because of it should not have amounted to a lawsuit, as many other wrestlers competed in the same circumstances.
The veteran found it odd that Tiger Ali Singh reportedly blamed him for getting hurt and shared what actually happened nearly 23 years ago:
"Tiger Ali Singh, he was in Puerto Rico, and he fell. A wrestler falling in the ring, I mean, of the bumps we take, and he fell. 'Oh, he got hurt!' So he went home, and he blamed it on me, I guess, or the promotion in Puerto Rico because it was raining down, but there were a bunch of other guys in the ring too. I mean, the rain stopped, but the mat was a little wet, and it was slippery." [3:20 - 4:20]
In case you missed it, Mantell also had some interesting things to say about Vince McMahon's mustache, and you can read more here.
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