"They didn't do that on purpose" – Dutch Mantell shares important advice for agents (Exclusive)

Dutch Mantell worked in various on-screen and off-screen roles during his five decades in the wrestling business. The legendary booker and manager recently gave his take on how up-and-coming talents should be treated by backstage agents.

Mantell performed as the Uncle Zebekiah and Zeb Colter characters in WWE. The 74-year-old also worked on the creative team in TNA Wrestling and spent several years in Puerto Rico as a booker.

On Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk with Kevin Kellam, Mantell explained why producers should not be so harsh on young wrestlers:

"I liked to see a new kid starting out because you could see how anxious he is and how much he wants to succeed. That's why even when I was helping agent, I didn't do it a lot, I never yelled at kids. They didn't mean to mess up. I told the other few agents, 'Don't holler at those kids. They didn't do that on purpose. Your job is to instruct them and keep it kind of happy and be firm with it,' and that's all you need." [6:05 – 6:37]

Watch the video above to hear Mantell's opinion on WWE hiring Abyss in 2019 after he spent 17 years in TNA.

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Dutch Mantell on wrestlers' reaction to negative feedback

In wrestling, agents are responsible for helping in-ring competitors put together ideas for their matches. They usually report directly to company higher-ups after speaking with talents to finalize plans.

According to Dutch Mantell, some wrestlers can worry for a long time if they receive bad feedback from an agent:

"I've seen some guys, even in a friendly dressing down, they would worry about that for weeks and weeks and weeks. They used to come up to me, 'Did I mess up?' I said, 'No, you did fine.' 'Really? Really? Are you sure? Are you sure?'" [6:39 – 6:55]

Mantell also addressed why WWE used to make some wrestlers record two entrances in front of the same RAW crowd.

What are your thoughts on Dutch Mantell's comments? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

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