"He was very good tonight” - WWE veteran praises Drew McIntyre’s performance on SmackDown (Exclusive)

Dutch Mantell is mighty impressed with Drew McIntyre.

The former WWE manager was on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk to review the latest episode of WWE SmackDown and had some praiseworthy words for McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior was again in action this week on the blue brand. He issued another open challenge and Ricochet stepped up this time.

Mantell claimed he was growing fond of Drew McIntyre as a superstar. He stated that Drew was a stellar performer in the ring. Mantell detailed that Ricochet was able to get over with the crowd just by being in the ring and holding his own against a competitor like Drew McIntyre.

Here's what Dutch Mantell had to say:

"You know who I'm starting to like now? It's Drew McIntyre. He was very good tonight. And even tonight, Ricochet got over better by just being in the same ring as McIntyre and holding his own."

You can watch the full video here:

Drew McIntyre is working his way to the top of the SmackDown roster

😱 HERE. WE. GO. 😱

#SmackDown @KingRicochet @DMcIntyreWWE https://t.co/DJigUJjw1t

Ever since his move to the blue brand after the 2021 WWE Draft, Drew McIntyre has been working his way up the ladder on SmackDown. While he featured predominantly in the main event picture on RAW, McIntyre has been working mid-card matches for the blue brand.

The open challenge has been a stable of McIntyre's run on SmackDown. McIntyre was able to take down Sami Zayn and Mustafa Ali in the weeks leading up to this week's episode.

McIntyre worked a high octane matchup with Ricochet that resulted in an expertly delivered Claymore as Ricochet was in the middle of a Moonsault. After the match, McIntyre acknowledged that Ricochet had earned his respect and walked away victorious from yet another encounter.

If any quotes are used from this article, please add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the YouTube video.