Dutch Mantel - Professional Wrestling Career

Professional Wrestling Career

Keown debuted in 1973 as "Wayne Cowan," and later became "Dutch Mantel," but it wasn't until 1980 that he added "Dirty" to his wrestling name. He wrestled for various Southern promotions, and achieved considerable success in the National Wrestling Alliance.

Mantel was instrumental in the careers of several huge wrestling stars of the nineties, including the Blade Runners, who later went on to achieve notoriety as Sting and the Ultimate Warrior. The Undertaker and Kane both were early recipients of Mantel's astute wrestling knowledge, which served them well in their careers. Mantel also is credited with giving Steve Austin his stage surname, since Austin's real name at the time was Steve Williams (which was currently in use in wrestling by "Dr. Death" Steve Williams). Mantell originally considered giving Austin the stage names of either "Stevie Rage" or "William Stevenson III". At the time, he was a booker for Jerry Jarrett's Memphis territory.

Mantel formed several tag teams throughout his career, including The Kansas Jayhawks (with Bobby Jaggers), and The Desperados, which lasted only two months. Mantel achieved his greatest notoriety in 1979 when he and then-partner, Cowboy Frankie Lane, as Los Vaqueros Locos, sold out the 16,000-seat Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico for an unprecedented nine weeks in a row, a record that still stands. They had a unique gimmick, where they put US$1,000 on stake (all on US$1 and 50 cents coins) to the team that could defeat them.

Mantel's other notable achievement was in 1982 when he and Jerry "the King" Lawler faced off in a good guy vs. good guy series. Fans were torn between these two stalwarts of the Memphis ring wars. Mantell achieved what no other opponent could do in when Lawler was a good guy and that was to get a clear cut win over the King. Later that year after Lawler lost a loser leave town match against Bill "Superstar" Dundee, Lawler and Mantell finally mended their ways long enough to face Dundee and Buddy Landel in a Falls Don't Count in Memphis' Mid South Coliseum in front of a sold out red hot Memphis crowd. The match went a record 26 falls taking an hour and 15 minutes to accomphish. Match saw Dutch Mantell taking the pin fall over Landel.

In 1990, he worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as a commentator on WCW Worldwide alongside Tony Schiavone and in 1991, WCW created a stable known as "the Desperados" consisting of Dutch Mantell, Black Bart, and Deadeye Dick. The Desperados were packaged with the gimmick of being three bumbling cowboys looking to meet up with Stan Hansen to go to WCW and become a team. Over the course of a few months, they were promoted through a series of vignettes by which they would be beaten up in saloons, searching ghost towns, and riding horses. Hansen reportedly wanted no part of the storyline and left for Japan, never to return to wrestle in North America. Without Hansen, the group were pushed into service as jobbers and were dissolved as a stable before the end of the year.

When Jim Cornette's independent wrestling promotion Smoky Mountain Wrestling opened in 1991, Mantel, joined by Bob Caudle, served as the original color commentator for the television broadcasts, and would give something of a heel perspective. He also hosted a weekly talk segment called "Down and Dirty with Dutch," where he would interview the stars of SMW. He remained with Smoky Mountain until around 1994.

In the 1990s, Mantel appeared in the World Wrestling Federation as "Uncle Zeb." He was the manager of The Blu Brothers and, later, Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw. After departing the WWF, Mantel later joined the Puerto Rican International Wrestling Association as a creative consultant, which included writing/producing and booking four hours of original TV programming per week. Mantel remained there until September 22, 2003. Mantel set a record while in Puerto Rico, in the number of hours that a single writer produced a TV wrestling show as he was responsible for four hours a week, 52 weeks a year, for a total of 208 hours a year for five years straight. His ratings also set records as his shows regularly ranged in the 12 to 15 range, with his highest being an 18.1, with a 55 share of the TV viewing audience while working for WWC in 2000. Mantel was awarded the 2002 Wrestling Observer Newsletter award of Booker of the Year for his dual achievements of drawing huge crowds to IWA big stadium shows (12 to 15 thousand fans) and for his ratings successes on Puerto Rican TV, which equaled prime time numbers, even though the show aired on weekend afternoons.

In 2003, Mantel began work behind the scenes as a writer/producer/agent for TNA Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, most recently as a full time member of the booking team, which includes Vince Russo and Jeff Jarrett. Mantel was instrumental in many successful creations for the company, most notably the TNA Knockouts division that helped to reinvigorate interest in women's wrestling in the United States. Mantel is given credit for bringing Awesome Kong to TNA at Bound for Glory 2007, and also her handler/manager, Raisha Saeed. On July 31, 2009, Mantel was released from TNA due to creative differences. Soon after, he was once again working as a writer for the IWA in Puerto Rico.

In November 2009, Reno Riggins, announced that Dutch would be joining Showtime All-Star Wrestling promotion out of Nashville as a writer and on air talent. In December 2009, Mantel released his first book, "The World According to Dutch." Mantel wrote the book in around 5 weeks, while sitting on a beach on Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, with assistance from editors Ric Gross and Mark James. In December 2010, Mantel released his second book "Tales From a Dirt Road".

On March 3, 2011, Mantel wrestled in the place of Jamie Dundee at XCW Midwest in Corydon IN. He took on local heel Lone Star, further cementing his semi-active status as a part-time wrestler.

On March 22, 2011, Mantel was the latest guest added to the WrestleMania morning WrestleReunion event in Atlanta, Georgia on April 4, 2011. The event honors Bruno Sammartino with several modern and legendary wrestlers including Carlito, Kamala, Scott Steiner, Tommy Dreamer, Christy Hemme, Bob Orton, Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik.

On March 10, 2012, Mantel was the tag team partner of "The Texas Outlaw" Thomas Mitchell at AWA Supreme Wrestling in Madison, IN with a win against "Custom Made" Eric Draven and Vito Andretti.