WWE should have hired former world champion earlier, Dutch Mantell thinks (Exclusive)

Dutch Mantell worked on the TNA creative team between 2003 and 2009 before returning for another spell with the company in 2017. The legendary wrestling personality recently gave his thoughts on Joseph Park, aka Abyss, never working for WWE as an in-ring competitor.

Abyss is best known for his TNA run between 2002 and 2019. The 51-year-old won several titles, including the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the NWA tag title with AJ Styles. In 2019, he joined WWE as a backstage producer and briefly appeared alongside Styles as an on-screen character.

Speaking to host Kevin Kellam, Mantell joked on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk that Abyss sometimes worried too much about his performances. He also questioned why WWE did not hire the veteran wrestler earlier:

"I love him to death but he was the world's worst," Mantell said. "Brother, please lighten up, you're killing me. I never got p****d off at him, but after a while I said, 'Brother, you're fine, you're good.' Now that was a guy I think that should have made WWE a lot sooner than he did. That's exactly where he needs to be because he's a guy, even on his own, he would study the wrestling business." [7:00 – 7:36]

Watch the video above to hear more stories from Mantell about his days working with Abyss.

---

Dutch Mantell praises Abyss' wrestling mind

WWE fans likely know Dutch Mantell best for his performances as the Uncle Zebekiah and Zeb Colter characters. However, he also had a lengthy career outside of WWE as a booker and wrestler.

Mantell has five decades' experience in wrestling and believes Abyss has a good understanding of the industry:

"Your guys who really understand it, you never know until you sit down and you know what you're talking about and you talk to them. But he studied it. Almost like he went to school for it. But he had it, he understood it, and so when you told him something, he got it." [7:46 – 8:03]

Abyss is widely viewed as one of the best masked wrestlers of his generation. In 2018, he was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame.

What are your thoughts on Abyss? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

---

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk and embed the video if you use Dutch Mantell's quotes from this article.