"I think he refuses to go in any other spot"- Dutch Mantell picks Roman Reigns as the Male Wrestler of the Year (Exclusive)

Former WWE Manager Dutch Mantell picked Roman Reigns as the Male Wrestler of the Year in the inaugural edition of the Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards.

The Tribal Chief has been on the run of his life ever since returning to the company in 2020. The Samoan recently surpassed 500 days as the Universal Champion and will have a chance of becoming WWE Champion at WrestleMania as well.

Dutch Mantell is part of an elite panel for the Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards and had to select from the following nominees for the Male Wrestler of the Year:

• Kenny Omega from AEW
• Big E from WWE
• Roman Reigns from WWE
• Bryan Danielson from AEW
• CM Punk from AEW

Speaking to Riju Dasgupta of Sportskeeda Wrestling, the wrestling veteran stated that Roman Reigns has been the highlight of every show he has been on and has constantly opened or closed the events:

"Well, I'm gonna have to go with Roman [Reigns] again. I'll say because he's featured on every show, either at the front or the back. I think he refuses to go in any other spot except front and back and they know that that's why they put him in the front and back mostly," said Mantell [28:19 to 28:49]

You can check out all of Dutch Mantell's picks for the various categories below:

Do you agree with Dutch Mantell's picks? Make your opinion count by voting alongside him for the Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards. Voting ends on March 10, so be sure to get your votes in by clicking HERE!

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Dutch Mantell also heaped praise on Roman Reigns' family

Roman Reigns hails from one of the greatest wrestling families in pro wrestling. The Samoan Dynasty is one of the most prestigious in professional wrestling history and has produced multiple Hall of Famers and World Champions in a variety of international promotions.

Dutch Mantell had special praise reserved for Rikishi, stating that he was one of the most entertaining stars in the industry:

"He [Rikishi] was a big guy but he was entertaining and I think kiss my backside is just another part of it. I do like the serious side of those guys, because even in real life, you know not to make a Samoan mad. They're just tough people. They grew up tough and they grew up in the family and they have family values and they respect people,"- Dutch said [30:43 to 31:41]

Mantell also gave his thoughts on the great Haku, revealing that he was very respectful and hard to predict:

" If you just met him, you'd say 'What a nice guy,' because he was very respectful and you would never know he was so tough just by talking to him. He even has a soft voice. You know the old saying, 'You gotta watch them when they are quiet because the quiet ones are the meanest,' that's true with the Samoans," Mantell added [32:35 to 33:09]

Roman Reigns will have a chance to further The Samoan Dynasty as WrestleMania as he'll face Brock Lesnar in "The Greatest WrestleMania match ever."