During a recent appearance on the “Sportskeeda Wrestling” podcast, former WWE talent Dutch Mantell commented on how he believes Roman Reigns will turn babyface after he loses the title, why he’s not a big fan of today’s heels in professional wrestling, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On how Roman Reigns will turn face after losing the title, and what can solidify Braun Strowmn as a top star: “Big guys have often found out that if they’re just big and they beat people up, like Bray Wyatt, they don’t really get a reaction from people. I think Braun [Strowman], he’s more of a heel than he is a babyface. See, they have a shortage of heels anyway. I think you should make him a heel, and you could run him against — I think when you turn Roman, he’s going to need those big, monster heels. He’s going to need a Braun Strowman. He’s going to need a Bray if he can beat him. He’s going to need those GUNTHERs. He’s going to need those guys like that or Karrion Kross. That’s what he’s going to need, so if he’s just a big guy, you know? But I don’t know if this would work with any babyface, but I think when Roman drops the belt, whenever he drops it, I think shortly after that, something’s going to happen to him, and he’s going to come back a babyface.”
On how Reigns left a babyface and came back as a heel: “Remember, he left a baby face and then he came back a heel, and the people of course it’s going to take them some time to acclimate to a change, but they will. And sometimes, all you got to do is put two guys together, they have that magic, and the work’s done for you. I think that Logan Paul, this is how fans are, Logan Paul’s almost a heel. And Roman’s a babyface because they want to see Roman beat the s*** out of him because he’s got that smart mouth. See the best way to me is to turn him, if Roman If Logan was a full-time competitor in WWE, I’ll tell you, forget talking about Roman. Talk about these people. You know how Lacy [Evans] was talking to the people? She attacked the people. That’s what gets your heat. Attack them. It’s what I used to do, and it worked every time. Sometimes you can attack your opponent, and you know what the fans say? ‘Well yeah, you kind of got a point,’ but if you attack them, ‘Oh no, you can’t be doing that! You can’t be talking about me! You can’t be talking about us!” But I think if he went out there and attacked the people, they’d want to kill him.”
On why today’s heels don’t get it: “Today’s heels? They don’t get it like heels 30-40 years ago. You would fight the crowd sometimes coming back. Now you tell guys in the business well, ‘We had a riot there and he’s–‘ Shut the hell up! You didn’t have no damn riot! I mean some guys have been stabbed, hit in the head with bottles, cut with glass, rocks, oh yeah because I used to say fans believe the space program was fake and wrestling was real. But you can make them so mad, sometimes I’ve had to actually fight my way back to the dressing room because I was getting hit a lot more than I was hitting anybody else, but I wouldn’t I wouldn’t know where they’re trying to, I mean trying to kick anybody, but I was just trying to get my butt back to the dressing room.”
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(h/t – 411 Wrestling)
