Triple H rebuilt WWE without relying on Roman Reigns, legend says (Exclusive)
Roman Reigns was WWE's top full-time star for several years before Triple H replaced Vince McMahon as the company's creative figurehead in 2022. Dutch Mantell, formerly known as Zeb Colter in WWE, thinks The Game deserves credit for making other wrestlers feel important.
Reigns has headlined WrestleMania in eight of the last 10 years. The former Undisputed WWE Champion is still one of the most featured stars on Triple H's shows. However, many other talents have emerged as main-eventers over the last two years.
On Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk with Rick Ucchino, Mantell only had good things to say about Triple H's booking:
"I mean, he had to build everything from scratch. Nobody had any heat on them except Roman. And if you said somebody's name, like Roman and so-and-so [the outcome was predictable]. They have done a magnificent job making these matches jump off the page at you, and that's the beauty about pro wrestling." [11:22 – 11:57]
Dutch Mantell worked as a booker, in-ring competitor, and manager in a career spanning more than four decades. Thanks to Triple H's storytelling, he believes fans care about more on-screen personas than just Roman Reigns:
"Because if you tell the right story and get the people invested in the characters, I mean, you can go for a long, long time, and then it gets to a point where it almost books itself," Mantell continued. [11:58 – 12:15]
Watch the video above to hear Mantell predict Reigns and Cody Rhodes' match against Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa at Bad Blood.
Dutch Mantell on Triple H's mindset as a booker
WWE fans likely remember Dutch Mantell best for portraying the Uncle Zebekiah and Zeb Colter characters. Outside of WWE, he also earned a reputation as a talented booker in several territories, including Memphis and Puerto Rico.
Using his own creative experience as an example, Mantell explained how Triple H can easily book wrestling cards due to the number of characters he has developed:
"I've been booking certain territories, sometimes I would just say, 'What am I gonna do this week?' Well, there's nothing to do, you just put the names out there and sometimes you could just sit back there and watch it from the dressing room and say, 'Well, that's my next angle right there,' because the fans would tell me what they wanted to see and I'd go with it and they were right." [12:16 – 12:37]
Mantell also gave his take on whether CM Punk or Drew McIntyre will win inside Hell in a Cell at Bad Blood.
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Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.