"I think right now they’re almost at their peak" - Dutch Mantell explains if AEW can compete with WWE in viewership, comments on decline in wrestling's popularity (Exclusive)

Dutch Mantell is a true veteran of the industry, with the legend having seen so many stars rise and fall. Fans will recall Mantell's iconic mustache from his WWE run as long-term manager of Jake Hager (FKA Jack Swagger). Hager was initially billed as the kayfabe son of Mantell, who was known as Zeb Colter.

Mantell would then go on to manage recently released WWE star Cesaro. The Swiss Superman would team up with a returning Swagger and the two would become the "Real Americans." While Mantell's latest WWE run wasn't very successful, the legend is certainly experienced and knowledgeable about wrestling.

Dutch Mantell appeared on the most recent Sportskeeda Wrestling Award show and spoke to Riju Dasgupta on whether or not AEW can currently compete with WWE in terms of viewership. He also touched on the state of the wrestling industry as a whole.

“Well, it can go up against WWE, but I think right now they’re almost at their peak. I hate to say that, but wrestling viewership in the last 10 years? It’s steadily dropping, dropping, dropping. And now, it’s not all wrestling’s fault because people have so much else to occupy their time. It’s not necessary to watch the program live, but you can catch it later. Viewership has dropped. When was WCW and WWF head to head? Back in the 90s, right? If you combined both audiences, they had like 8 to 9 million people watching those broadcasts. Wrestling doesn’t’ have huge audience anymore, and there’s too much on." - Mantell said. (04:39)

You can check out the full interview below:

Dutch Mantell is one of the expert panelists for the first-ever Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards.

You can join him and other experts in determining the biggest winners of 2021 by casting your vote in the link here.

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Dutch Mantell believes fans know too much about the inner-workings of the wrestling industry

During the same interview, Dutch Mantell expanded on his feelings about the current fan understanding of wrestling and how it works. The legend also compared wrestling to other sports.

"And the people know too much about the inner workings of the business. So if you told me baseball – they knew who was going to win before they played the game? Why would I watch it? I’m not going to watch it. So I think letting the cat out of the bag – so to speak – you can’t put it back in. But one thing you can do, is tell a good story. Because storytelling never dies. I think all the dirt sheets? They just know too much and they rely too much on rumors." - Dutch Mantell said. (06:10)

What are your thoughts on Mantell's comments? Do you think fans know too much about the inner-workings of the industry? Give your thoughts in the comments below!

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