Wrestling legend Dutch Mantell says 3-time AEW Champion needs to get the "s**t beat out of him" at SummerSlam 2023 (Exclusive)

Wrestling legend Dutch Mantell appeared on the latest episode of SK Wrestling's Smack Talk to give his picks for SummerSlam 2023 this Saturday. He said that a three-time AEW Champion needs to get the dog s**t beat out of him before winning.

Dutch Mantell was talking about none other than Cody Rhodes, who is a three-time AEW TNT Champion. While he has yet to win any gold since returning to WWE, he has been consistently presented as the top babyface of the company, at least on Monday Night RAW.

Dutch Mantell predicted that Cody Rhodes will get physically dominated at SummerSlam by Brock Lesnar but expects him to ultimately come out victorious:

"He [Cody Rhodes] needs to get the dog s**t beat out of him but somehow get the win over Brock [Lesnar]. Brock is still standing tall and Cody barely gets out of the ring but he gets the win. But he has to go through that because that's what his Daddy [Dusty Rhodes] told him all those years. Hard times. Now he's kind of making his gimmick come alive right in front of you. So I think Cody goes over, but Brock dominates." (8:29-9:10)

You can watch the full video below:

Dutch Mantell agreed with Triple H's explanation for Cody Rhodes losing at WrestleMania

Not many agreed with the booking decision that Triple H made regarding Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 39. While we now know that he was playing a longer game, The King of Kings faced criticism for the decision nonetheless.

On an episode of Smack Talk post-WrestleMania 39, Dutch Mantell stated that he agreed with Triple H's booking philosophy and not wrapping up the story:

"He described wrestling as what I always thought it would be. Because when I was in Puerto Rico, I applied the same thing he talked about. The story is never finished cause I have never wrapped up a story. And apparently, he's not gonna wrap up the story, and the reason I came to that conclusion in the first place is that wrestling fans don't forget. 'Wouldn't they hate each other three weeks ago?' But if you have a story that connects, that in the fan's mind makes sense, that's why the story doesn't finish," said Dutch Mantell. (13:50 - 14:34)

Do you think Mantell is right about this? Let us know in the comments section below!

---

If you use any quotes from the article, please embed the YouTube video and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling.