Wrestling legend Dutch Mantell was asked on the latest episode of Sportskeeda's Smack Talk about how WWE would perform in London compared to AEW, with Tony Khan's company set for a historic ALL IN event in less than a month. He made a bold prediction about what would happen.
AEW is heading to Wembley Stadium for the ALL IN event on August 27. The reports have indicated that they have been selling extremely well and surpassing expectations.
On the latest episode of Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell said that fans in the UK are desperate for wrestling and cited that even IMPACT Wrestling sold out in the UK when he was with the promotion. He said that WWE would likely sell out quicker than AEW but admitted that Tony Khan's company picked a great spot for ALL IN.
"That tells me that they're desperate for wrestling. And if you bring the WWE, I think they would sell out quicker...I know they'd sell out quicker. AEW picked a great spot. Hell TNA [IMPACT Wrestling] sold out. Not a stadium, but we'd go to those buildings in Manchester and they were all sold out. We went there and it was sold out for TNA. And I'm thinking 'Why did it sell out?' Because we may have had TV there, and it sold out. Very great fans to work in front of." [9:16-10:15]
You can watch the full video below:
Dutch Mantell was full of praise for the UK audience
Right before Dutch Mantell spoke about WWE doing well in the UK, he praised the London crowd at Money in the Bank 2023 and said that when he was Zeb Colter, he had the crowd chanting along with him despite being a heel.
"Money in the Bank was good, better than I thought. [The] Crowd was hot. All the crowds in the UK are hot. When I was there, it was really a pleasure to work in front of those people. Even when I went over there with the 'We the people' thing, they stood up for that and repeated it. I used to say 'That's why we're doing so well because we got away from you farmers.' I like the UK, I really do." [8:18-9:00]
John Cena made a surprise appearance at Money in the Bank in London earlier this year and talked about WWE hosting WrestleMania in the city. Many believe it was a move from the company to test the waters and possibly challenge AEW. It remains to be seen whether WrestleMania will indeed emanate from the iconic city in the coming years.
Should WWE go to London for WrestleMania 41? What do you think of Dutch Mantell's predictions? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
If you use any quotes from the article, please embed the YouTube video and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling.