"They don't want to give Triple H credit" - Wrestling veteran discusses the reason for latest WWE cuts (Exclusive)
Dutch Mantell believes WWE releasing William Regal and other NXT staff this week has a lot to do with Triple H's involvement with the brand.
Mantell was on this week's episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk to discuss the latest episode of SmackDown. He also spoke about WWE's sweeping cuts to the NXT staff that included the likes of William Regal and Samoa Joe.
Dutch Mantell said the company's top brass did not want to credit Triple H for the potential success of NXT 2.0. The wrestling veteran feels that releasing seasoned professionals like Regal and Joe was WWE's way of changing things in NXT.
"I think they want to go their own way. They want credit for it. They don't want to give Triple H credit for it. Because that was his team. And I think they want to start anew and if they are successful they'll be like, 'See, we knew what we were doing.' But I don't think they're going to do it," stated Mantell.
The releases come at a time when WWE has revamped the NXT brand and is looking to do away with the last remnants of its black and gold era. It was reported that backstage morale had dipped after the recent cuts. Regardless, several WWE stars took to Twitter to express their gratitude to William Regal.
You can watch the latest Smack Talk episode below:
William Regal was part of Triple H's core team at NXT
Another recently released WWE name is Brian "Road Dogg" James. Road Dogg was part of Triple H's behind-the-scenes team alongside Regal, Joe, and Shawn Michaels, tasked with developing talent in NXT in its previous iteration.
Following the news of his release earlier this week, William Regal took to Twitter to express his gratitude to WWE. He thanked the company for a solid and eventful 21-year run.
Thank you to @WWE for a wonderful 21 year run. You gave a lad who was happy and in wonderland wrestling on a carnival have a charmed life for 21 years. No complaints and please no one waste time replying as I won’t have a bad work said against the company.x
Regal also took a moment to thank WWE for saving his life back in the day when he was dealing with his personal demons.
I will add that @WWE saved my life in 1999 when they didn’t need to, kept my family fed and took me all around the world. You have my gratitude forever. You allowed me to live a charmed life.
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