Veteran is glad WWE 'threw in' an underutilized star against LA Knight: "There is no doubt about his talent" (Exclusive)
LA Knight's United States Title reign received a new creative direction this week and Dutch Mantell was pretty happy to see it all unfold.
Knight was confronted by Legado Del Fantasma and the segment proved to be an opportunity for Berto (fka Humberto Carrillo) to showcase his potential on the big stage. Berto challenged LA Knight for the United States Championship and despite losing the match, the former NXT star put in a great showing, according to Dutch Mantell.
On Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, the former WWE manager expressed his happiness about seeing Berto get a chance to work a high-profile match. Mantell believed the member of the Garza family was a talented individual who just needed the spotlight upon himself.
"Well, it was about time. Give him a chance. Throw him in there with a well-established guy like Knight and see what he can do. There is no doubt about his talent and he is a good talker. He held his own with Knight and he had a good match, of course, they worked the angle after that but that's another run-in." [From 37:00 onwards]
The post-match angle saw Shinsuke Nakamura return and attack LA Knight, making his intentions clear about going after the US Title.
Dutch Mantell was entertained by the twist and looked forward to how WWE would flesh out a potentially fascinating rivalry between Nakamura and LA Knight.
"I am interested in seeing where they go with that [Nakamura vs Knight]. That was like the third high spot of the show for me, and the high spots of the show aren't the matches but actually the interviews and all that they do. I am totally a story guy." [38:00 - 38:40]
Shinsuke Nakamura is a two-time United States Champion and looks as motivated as ever to add another title reign to his resume.
Please give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.