Dutch Mantell On WWE Turning Down His Idea For Zeb Colter, Del Rio Pairing

Wrestling veteran Dutch Mantell recently spoke with Sports Illustrated for an Extra Mustard Blog interview. During the discussion, Mantell, best known to WWE fans as Zeb Colter, explained why his pairing with Alberto Del Rio didn’t work out as well as WWE might have hoped.

“WWE failed to take into account that it didn’t make a lot of sense,” he said. “Remember, I hated Alberto Del Rio, and he hated me. So, all of a sudden, I disappeared and came back. But it’s not necessarily the first step in wrestling that is the most important, because it’s the second step that identifies and clarifies the first one. That’s what we didn’t do. There was no chemistry, but there was also no logical explanation as to why I would be with Alberto. I said to the guys in the back, ‘I’m not getting the story,’ but people kept saying, ‘Just wait.’ I’ve walked on enough wrestling floors, and I know if a crowd isn’t getting a certain vibe. The chemistry wasn’t there with me and Alberto.”

Mantell also revealed his own return storyline that he pitched to WWE. While the company ultimately chose not to use the idea, it would have definitely been something different to try.

“I suggested that I get back with Jack [Swagger]. What I really wanted to say during my return was, ‘When I was away, I realized that, instead of building walls, we should be building bridges. Instead of hating on people, I should be loving people.’ That was the build-up, but then we’d find out that, while I was away, I was really having a s— fit about every son of a b—- who f—– me over, and Alberto was one of them. So my plan was to convince Alberto to let Jack join us, and then we’d do the big turn at the end, and that would have helped everybody.”

Check out the complete Dutch Mantell interview with S.I. by clicking here.