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Legendary wrestling booker and manager Dutch Mantell recently gave his take on reports about Drew Gulak's WWE exit.
On May 3, Gulak received his release after eight years with WWE. The news came shortly after Ronda Rousey accused the former Cruiserweight Champion of sexual misconduct. Fightful Select later reported that he was viewed backstage as a "bully" who deliberately targeted other wrestlers' injuries.
Mantell said on Story Time with Dutch Mantell that Gulak's alleged behavior would not have lasted long on the main roster:
"Well, if he intentionally hurt guys, and I have never heard that before, I guess I could make do with saying if he'd have tried this on the main roster or against more experienced talent, he may get the cr*p beat out of him. Because I know if I went in the ring with somebody and they legitimately tried to hurt me, well, we got a problem," declared Mantell. [18:39 – 19:06]
Gulak's first WWE appearance came in the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic tournament. He wrestled on the main roster for several years before moving to NXT in December 2022.
Dutch Mantell on how some wrestlers would have reacted to Drew Gulak
In 2016, Dutch Mantell departed WWE three years after returning to the company as the Zeb Colter character. Drew Gulak made his WWE debut a month later, meaning he never crossed paths with Jack Swagger's former on-screen manager.
Mantell thinks some top stars would have retaliated if Gulak attempted to injure them during a match:
"If he'd have done it with some guys, they'd have slapped him right then and there. And that's why I tend not to believe that so much. I think he may have got a bad rap on that, and it could be true. I don't know. He never tried it with me. And I've never met the guy. I've seen him and I've heard about him," he said. [19:20 – 19:47]
In the same episode, Mantell also provided an update on Jerry Lawler's health as he recovers from another stroke.
Please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
