WWE Legend did not want AJ Styles but another superstar to win on SmackDown (Exclusive)
WWE kicked off this week's SmackDown with a dream match as AJ Styles defeated Edge and Rey Mysterio to advance to the semifinal, which he later won by beating Bobby Lashley. Dutch Mantell has now revealed he was expecting Edge to win but had no problems with the quality of the bout.
The three competitors had never shared the same ring before SmackDown, and they delivered a solid match when the time finally arrived.
Heading into the show, Dutch Mantell wanted the Rated-R Superstar to have his moment, but WWE clearly had different ideas. While the promotion backed Styles, Mantell enjoyed the match and believed the experienced talents involved would not have even needed to plan it out in advance.
"It was a good match, and I was looking for Edge to win too, and all of a sudden, AJ [Styles] pops up with the win. Good match because those guys, you don't even have to tell them to talk," said the former WWE manager. "They can all show up at eight o'clock, get right in the ring, and they can have a match. That's how good they are." [From 17:01 - 17:30]
Dutch Mantell wasn't a fan of Triple Threat matches but was glad that Edge and Rey Mysterio's on-screen reputation didn't take a hit despite losing.
The booking was sensible, and Dutch stated the WWE Superstars should feel proud of what they'd accomplished on the blue brand.
"Very good match, good for AJ! I don't think anybody got hurt in the match, reputation-wise, or anything else. All of those guys should be proud of doing that match. But I hate three ways. I just hate three ways because there is no story." [17:31 - 18:02]
Dutch Mantell on WWE SmackDown's unique opening this week
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WWE has historically opened its shows with promo segments that build up towards a match or advance existing storylines. This week, though, was different as the company packed the opening 30 minutes with in-ring action.
Following AJ Styles' win over Edge and Mysterio, WWE immediately booked the second three-way match of the night between Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory, and Sheamus.
Cameron Grimes' quick victory over Baron Corbin happened next before The Bloodline angle took center stage. Dutch Mantell wasn't against the lineup and called it a "good system," as you can view below:
"I taped about 30 minutes of the show, so I'm not eaten up by commercials. So when I opened up the show, they were already hitting it. So I was 30 minutes when I started the tape; I'm looking for an opening, and there was no opening there. That's a good system to do." [16:40 - 17:00]
Did SmackDown's first match live up to your expectations?
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