Legendary wrestling booker and manager Dutch Mantell recently shared his perspective on comments made by Glenn Jacobs regarding his potential return to the ring.
Known to WWE fans as Kane, Jacobs expressed in an interview with David Gornoski that he is unlikely to lace up his boots for another match. The 56-year-old icon hasn’t stepped into the squared circle since his appearance in the Men’s Royal Rumble in 2021.
Speaking on Story Time with Dutch Mantell, Mantell empathized with Jacobs’s stance, understanding his reluctance to continue wrestling:
“Well, he wants to be done because all he can do now is guest slots. His name would still mean something on the card. But [he could return] if he did wanna come back and do something and gets in a little bit of decent shape.”
Jacobs, who has served as the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, since 2018, received recognition for his contributions to the wrestling industry when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
Mantell also delved into the topic of veteran wrestlers making comebacks, expressing his opinion that wrestlers should consider their careers concluded if they can’t return at a level akin to their prime:
“One of the worst things that can happen to a retired pro wrestler is, when you make a comeback, is if you don’t resemble what you were when you were hot, you’re done, and it’s embarrassing. It really is.”
This sentiment echoes Mantell’s previous remarks about Ric Flair, who, at the age of 73, returned to the ring in 2022, nearly 11 years after his last TNA match. Mantell believes such comebacks can tarnish a wrestler’s legacy and may come across as disrespectful to fans.
Mantell’s candid insights shed light on the complexities of retired wrestlers contemplating returns to the ring and the potential repercussions of such decisions on their legacies and the wrestling community as a whole.
