"You son of a b***h" – Dutch Mantell on his scary situation with two WWE Hall of Famers (Exclusive)
Dutch Mantell has recalled the time he feared for his safety during an in-ring altercation with WWE Hall of Famers Rick and Scott Steiner.
The Steiner Brothers held the WWE/WWF Tag Team Championship twice and the NWA/WCW World Tag Team Championship seven times. The imposing superstars were known to be hard-hitting in their matches, especially against opponents they disliked.
Mantell, a legendary wrestling booker and manager, worked with Rick and Scott Steiner in the late 1980s and early 1990s. On Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk show with Sid Pullar III, he discussed The Steiners' physical approach:
"It was a balancing act," Mantell said. "This is like anything else. If they liked you, you're okay. If they didn't like you, you're not okay. They would just go out there and they would just not necessarily take liberties with you, but they would just kind of lay on you. I mean, hard." [1:02 – 1:24]
Mantell added that The Steiners once joked about deliberately injuring him while delivering a high-risk move from the top rope:
"They used to do that clothesline on the shoulders. I told them, 'Guys, I can't take that.' They said, 'Oh, yeah, you're gonna take it, I'm gonna rip you in two.' I got on Scott's shoulders and Rick got up there, and I said, 'You son of a b***h. If you hurt me…' He started laughing then and he came off [performed the clothesline] and it was an easy one. But I just thought, 'You just killed me up here.'" [1:26 – 1:57]
Watch the video above to hear more stories from Dutch Mantell about The Steiners' behavior outside the ring.
Dutch Mantell elaborates on his worrying moment with Rick and Scott Steiner
The Steiners defeated dozens of opponents with their array of top-rope moves, which included the diving bulldog (Steinerizer) and flying clothesline (Steiner Device).
WCW World Tag Team Championship reign #3 for one of the greatest tag teams ever,Rick and Scott,The Steiner Brothers back in 1992 https://t.co/qWTchcpRzE
Dutch Mantell received the latter maneuver from Rick Steiner, who wanted to scare the veteran before landing the clothesline:
"This was the front one, so I was watching him," Mantell added. "My eyes were saying, 'You son of a b***h,' and his eyes were doing it, too, like, 'I'm gonna get you.' It's funny now, but it wasn't funny then. If you got along with them, again, you're fine. But if you didn't, they didn't care. They did hit some guys really hard." [2:10 – 2:35]
Dutch Mantell also gave his thoughts on allegations that John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) bullied other wrestlers.
What did you make of Rick and Scott Steiner as wrestlers? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.