"He was very nice to me" - Dutch Mantell pays tribute to New Jack after his untimely passing [Exclusive]

Dutch Mantell paid tribute to New Jack after the untimely passing of the ECW legend.

Hardcore wrestling legend New Jack passed away yesterday, reportedly from a heart attack. The former ECW star was only 58. The wrestling fraternity paid tribute to the ECW legend following his passing.

Dutch Mantell paid tribute to New Jack on the latest edition of SmackTalk. The wrestling legend said that although he didn't know New Jack very well, the former ECW star had always shown him respect when they interracted:

"He was always cordial to me," said Mantell. "I never stepped in the ring with him. He scared me to death. He wanted to push me off the apron and I don't need to fall off the scaffolding to hurt myself, I just fall off three feet from the edge of the ring and, 'oh god, I broke my leg' or whatever. But no, I didn't know him that well but he was very nice to me when I met him. I would see him at conventions and different places and he was always very cordial to me."

A quick look at New Jack's wrestling career

Image Credit: Pwi-online.com

New Jack was a controversial personality in wrestling, both inside the squared circle and outside of it. Making a name for himself in ECW in the 90s, New Jack was a unique star, as he was known for his edgy interviews and his intensity inside the ring.

New Jack was also involved in the infamous Mass Transit incident in ECW. Despite making some mistakes in his career and taking things too far on occasion, New Jack gave everything he had to entertain the fans, putting his body on the line night after night.

WWE is saddened to learn that Jerome Young, known in ECW as New Jack, passed away today at the age of 58.WWE extends its condolences to Young’s family and friends. https://t.co/9ESCVALGDe

— WWE (@WWE) May 15, 2021

Although New Jack never made a televised appearance in WWE, he did wrestle dark matches in 2004 for the company. New Jack also made a few appearances in IMPACT Wrestling/TNA over the years.

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