WWE veteran claims nobody wants to see Goldberg vs. Ryback
Not everyone is looking forward to the prospect of Goldberg and Ryback facing off for the first time. According to legendary wrestling booker Dutch Mantell, the two heavyweights could struggle to fill a 2,000-seat building if they headline an event against each other.
Ryback is expected to return to wrestling this summer after five years out of the ring due to a serious shoulder injury. Since leaving WWE in 2016, The Big Guy has founded a successful supplement company, Feed Me More Nutrition. With 3.6 million followers, he is also one of the world's most popular wrestlers on TikTok.
On his Story Time with Dutch Mantell show, Mantell questioned why Ryback wants to face Goldberg:
"I don't know what he's thinking. I don't think you could fill up a 2,000-seat hall, and if you put it on pay-per-view you couldn't charge 10 dollars for it, nine dollars, and I don't think they'd get that many buys then. Nobody wants to see Goldberg and Ryback." [1:02:38 – 1:03:04]
A possible storyline is already in place if the never-before-seen match comes to fruition. During his time in WWE, Ryback often received "Goldberg" chants due to his similar appearance to the WCW icon.
Dutch Mantell compares Goldberg vs. Ryback to Ric Flair's last match
In July 2022, Ric Flair teamed up with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo to defeat Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in his final match. Flair, aged 73 at the time, has since admitted that the bout was disappointing because he became dehydrated, causing him to pass out twice.
Dutch Mantell considers Goldberg and Ryback to be "athletically gifted" individuals, but he thinks their potential match would be worse than Flair's last in-ring battle:
"I think it would make Ric Flair's last match look like an eight-star match, believe me. That would be a match of (…) it would be memorable, it would. I think that could possibly qualify, even unseen, as the worst match ever conceived or thought of, so I don't know. I'll say this: it's not happening." [1:03:47 – 1:04:23]
Yeah saw this months ago. @DirtyDMantell was always VERY nice to me in person and we never had one issue. Would be more than happy to speak to him live anytime on any platform. What do you say Dutch? twitter.com/number1jg/stat…
This is not the first time that Ryback has been on the receiving end of Mantell's brutally honest words. Earlier this week, the one-time Intercontinental Champion said he would be happy to speak to the wrestling legend to address any issues they have.
What are your thoughts on Dutch Mantell's remarks? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.