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Dutch Mantell was full of praise for the WWE Royal Rumble Premium Live Event barring one match. The wrestling legend even described one of the matches as the "greatest booked" bouts he has ever seen.
The 2023 Royal Rumble was a fairly long event despite there only being a few matches. Naturally, the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches took up a chunk of the time, while Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens and the post-match angle with Sami Zayn did as well.
On the latest episode of Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell praised the handling of the Men's Royal Rumble and the storytelling:
"They proved another thing - that wrestling fans don't forget. They brought it all together. They said, don't forget that Sheamus and Drew [McIntyre], they remember that match. Now when they're in the ring, they have a dynamic between them, they could reach in and flip the switch on it at any time. All those things you named are separate entities and it can lead into a month-long angle anyway. It can start here and end in the next pay-per-view, you can do that." (2:25-3:17)
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The wrestling veteran added that it was one of the greatest-booked matches he has ever seen, and fans also enjoyed it.
"They didn't send them to spring training. They said, we got em', so let's tell the story, build all the stories slowly, and after a while, the wrestling fans sitting there watching it, he didn't see exactly what they were doing, but after a while, it all comes together. And it's a good feeling when they understand what is happening and how they're doing it, it's probably one of the greatest-booked matches I've ever seen when you consider 30 different entities in a match, and it came down like it did." (3:24-4:08)
You can watch the full video below:
Dutch Mantell wasn't a fan of one superstar's performance in the Royal Rumble
Bray Wyatt was the only superstar who disappointed Dutch Mantell in the Royal Rumble show.
On the same episode of SmackTalk, host SP3 pointed out that while Wyatt is great at the storytelling aspect and the build-up to a big match - he rarely ever delivers in the ring. Dutch Mantell pointed out that it was a big test for Bray Wyatt, and he failed it. He believes that Triple H noticed this as well.
"When it comes time to get in the ring and do something, he failed this test. And when Uncle Howdy showed up, I don't think Uncle Howdy added anything to it at all."
Did you enjoyed the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches? Comment below your favorite moments from the Premium Live Event.
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