"It kind of pissed me off" - Cesaro's former manager finally reveals why WWE replaced him (Exclusive)

Dutch Mantell, formerly known as Zeb Colter, was the guest on SK Wrestling's special WWE WrestleMania 37 preview show with Sid Pullar III (SP3) and Fightful Wrestling's Jeremy Lambert.

Mantell managed Cesaro and Jack Swagger (Jake Hager), collectively known as The Real Americans, in 2013-14, and the Swiss Cyborg got over with the fans as part of the act. WWE, however, wanted to push Cesaro to the next level, and the promotion decided to end the alliance with Mantell.

Dutch Mantell explained that WWE officials felt Cesaro had a better chance of becoming a top star with Paul Heyman as a mouthpiece. Even though Mantell understood WWE's reasoning, the respected veteran was unhappy with the company.

Here's what Dutch Mantell had to say:

"Well, the reason I got, it kind of pissed me off, they said, 'We want him to get over.' I went, 'what the f***?' Excuse my language. I mean, what the hell?"

Dutch Mantell says the partnership with Paul Heyman hurt Cesaro in WWE

Mantell highlighted that Cesaro didn't gain much from being with Paul Heyman. In fact, Mantell believed the stint with Heyman hurt Cesaro's stock as a WWE superstar.

"I mean, you're going to put him with Heyman, thinking Heyman can get him over more than I can. That's fine. You own the company. I just didn't agree with it. I just didn't vocalize that, of course. But I didn't understand it. But then they took him and still didn't do anything with him. So, you can do anything you want, but you've got to."

Mantell noted that Cesaro was actually over with the fans during his time on the Real Americans team.

"He was with me, and all of a sudden, they just yanked him from me and put him with Paul Heyman, and they thought that was going to help, and it actually hurt him because Cesaro, when he was with the people when he was with the Real Americans, me and Jack, he was over."

Cesaro is gearing up for his first WrestleMania singles match, which is an astounding fact considering how long he has been in the company. The Swiss Cyborg has been a WWE Superstar for nearly ten years and has often been considered an underutilized mid-carder who could have been a main event regular.

Cesaro has a chance to prove his worth at WrestleMania 37, and a win against a former WWE Champion in Seth Rollins could get him closer to the elusive world title win.

Cesaro's alliance with Paul Heyman might not have taken off as intended, but the 40-year-old wrestler has still been a dependable asset for the WWE since day one, and Dutch Mantell has had a big role to play in the superstar's journey.

Hey guys...catch me now on a new platform talking wrestling. If you're tited of the same old, same old...I’ll break it down for you from a guy who's played the game. Friday following Smackdown. https://t.co/2utknEdA2o

— 𝔻𝕣. 𝔻𝕦𝕥𝕔𝕙 (@DirtyDMantell) April 7, 2021

Sad to announce I now have the second best mustache on Smack Talk. Seriously though, looking forward to adding Dutch to the team! Catch him, me and @TruHeelSP3 this Friday night! https://t.co/TxtMulG2XG

— Rick Ucchino (@RickUcchino) April 8, 2021

The legendary Dutch Mantell has joined the SK Wrestling family, and you can catch the veteran every week after SmackDown on Smack Talk with Rick Ucchino and Sid Pullar III (SP3).

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