"Hell, I was on a no-contact list!" – Veteran says WWE might have been afraid to give Paige a new role (Exclusive)
Paige recently announced that she'd soon be ending her long run with WWE. Unsurprisingly, her statement sent the internet into meltdown, which was one of the hot topics on this week's Smack Talk.
Dutch Mantell said that while WWE could've pushed Paige into another non-wrestling role, he felt that the officials might've been "afraid" about her sustaining another injury.
The former Absolution member called time on her in-ring career after seriously hurting her neck, and Mantell briefly spoke about WWE's cautious approach:
"Well, they could probably find something for her to do, but I think they were afraid she would get hurt again; that may be on the line for millions." (from 47:57 to 48:05)
Mantell also enjoyed a successful stint on WWE TV as a manager several years ago. The former Zeb Colter was on WWE's "no-contact" list but recalled that he still found himself in tricky situations with other talents.
Mantell even quipped that he hated getting "slogged" a handful of times on WWE programming. Here's what the former WWE manager stated on Sportskeeda's Smack Talk:
"Hell, I was on a no-contact list; they beat the sh** out of me!' I told them, one day, I said, 'Guys, aren't I on the no-contact list?' They said, 'Are you?' I said, 'Well, yeah, that's what you told me.' Well, let Big Show punch me, and somebody else do something but damn. I should've just went down and stayed down. I hate to be on the no-contact list and people just slogging the crap out of you. It's not fun, really." (from 48:10 to 48:47)
Paige leaves WWE after 11 years
July 7 will be Paige's final day in the WWE. The former Divas Champion joined the company in 2011 and quickly rose to prominence following an impressive spell in the developmental setup.
Paige tasted championship glory in WWE at the age of 21 and was one of the leading figures during the evolution of women's wrestling in WWE. She stepped away from the ring in 2016 to focus on fixing her neck injuries but worked towards a miraculous in-ring return more than a year later.
Thank you @WWE ❤️ https://t.co/9OhGjov13s
Unfortunately for the popular female star, she suffered another neck injury in December 2017 at a live event and has since not wrestled. While the 29-year-old superstar has taken up a few non-wrestling assignments, Paige has been vocal about wanting to compete again, as she mentioned in her statement above.
Sportskeeda Wrestling wishes the three-time champion nothing but the best and eagerly looks forward to the post-WWE chapter of her impactful career.
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