Dutch Mantell Urges Former WWE Star To Quit AEW And 'Get A Job'

"Dirty" Dutch Mantell has seen a lot of wrestlers come and go, and in that time he's learned a thing or two about momentum. On the latest "Story Time With Dutch Mantell," Mantell felt that former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Jake Hager has lost all of his momentum with only one answer to course correct the former hat-aficionado.

"The best thing [Hager] can do right now is get a job. Quit [the] promotion," Mantell exclaimed. "Well, Samoa Joe and Hager, I don't see anything that's right off the bat. You got to look at chemistry, and you got to go on in. You got to take time with Jack and say I went in there with him, which I wouldn't do because I'm not in condition enough to even get in the ring anymore. But if you brought him back, and I think 'We the People,' a political gimmick would work."

Mantell is referring to Hager's time alongside Claudio Castagnoli as The Real Americans in WWE, which Mantell believes worked for both men. But reuniting the two disparate acts would be too difficult in 2024 due to Castagnoli's allegiance to the Blackpool Combat Club. Mantell also argued with himself, noting that Hager could be treading on over-trodden ground by going back to the nationalistic character.

"I think it's a regression, but now teaming up with [Claudio]," Mantell admitted. 

Hager joined AEW in 2019, a surprise addition to Chris Jericho's Inner Circle, and afterward transitioned to Jericho Appreciation Society. With the JAS disbanded, Hager is currently a man without a country.