Dutch Mantell Recalls Going to Triple H About Issue With Phrase In Zeb Colter Promo

Dutch Mantell played Zeb Colter in WWE, and he recalled having a conversation with Triple H about a phrase that he didn’t want to use during a promo. Mantell spoke with SK Wrestling about his time managing Jake Hager (then Swagger) in WWE, and he talked about a racial element that was put into one promo that he took issue with. You can check out6 some highlights below:

On taking issue with saying ‘affirmative action’ in character: “Zeb Colter was supposed to be the right-wing radical, but the way I was doing my interviews, it made sense, and a lot of people were agreeing with me. They wanted me to go out one time and I was talking to Titus and Darren Young. [WWE management] wanted me to say what I got against them is ‘affirmative action’ and I went ‘Guys, I don’t wanna say that.’”

On talking to Triple H about it: “They said ‘Oh yeah, that’s what they want you to say.’ I asked ‘Why?’ I said ‘I guarantee you, when I go out there and I say that, now I’m racializing – I’m just making Zeb Colter a straight out racist.’ They said ‘Well, do this,’ and I then went to Triple H and said ‘Hey man, you’re gonna kill this character,’ and he did say this: ‘Okay, say it. If they don’t respond then take it out.’”

On testing the promo at a house show: “I said ‘Get ready to take it out because they’re not gonna respond to this’. Nobody wants to hear it. I don’t care who you are. They don’t want to hear it. I went out there, and I said that; you could here not a pin drop. It got eerily quiet. I know what they’re saying, you could read their mind. They’re saying ‘Oh God don’t take it this way, Please don’t lean into it.’”