Whatever happened to former WWE Superstar Zeb Colter?
Today marks the 72nd Birthday of former WWE Superstar Zeb Colter. Colter is best remembered as the manager of The Real Americans in his most recent run with the company, but the wrestling veteran has really been around the business for most of his life.
Wayne Keown made his wrestling debut in 1972 under the name "Wayne Cowan" before later becoming known as Dutch Mantel.
After stints in the NWA and Smokey Mountain Wrestling, Mantel found himself in WWE for the first time in 1995. Under the guise of 'Uncle Zebekiah', he managed The Blu Brothers up until their release in October 1995.
That 3-way faceoff with the battle of the managers reminded me of when they did Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Zeb Colter vs. BIG E LANGSTON in the managers triple threat match in 2013 when they were building up to that triple threat ladder match at ER with Del Rio/Swagger/Ziggler. https://t.co/5oRAmBox70
Mantel later managed JBL in the early part of his career when he was known as Justin 'Hawk' Bradshaw but was released from the company in 1996.
After spending time working behind the scenes in IMPACT and on the Indys, Mantel made his return to WWE in 2013 under the ring name Zeb Colter.
It was during this time that Colter managed Jack Swagger and Cesaro who were known as The Real Americans, ahead of his release in 2016.
Zeb Colter has moved on to several different projects since his release from WWE
Happy Birthday to the legendary "Dirty" Dutch Mantel who turns 72 years old today. Born on the same day as Jerry "The King" Lawler as in the exact same day because they're both 72 years old today. Kooky. Epic matches they had together also. https://t.co/3sShKAQDYc
In 2017, it was announced that Colter was working with IMPACT Wrestling as their Creative Consultant, but left the company just months later when Don Callis and Scott D'Amore took over as Executive Vice Presidents.
In 2019, the former WWE superstar went on to narrate five episodes in season one of Dark Side of The Ring, which has since garnered a cult following within the wrestling community.
As of 2021, Colter is working alongside Sportskeeda Wrestling. Under his Dutch Mantel name, the star reviews Smackdown with Rick Ucchino and Sid Pullar III on a weekly basis on Smack Talk.
What did you think of Dutch Mantel's stints as a manager in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.