Dutch Mantell on ex-WWE star's arrest: "He looks like he needs help" (Exclusive)
Dutch Mantell worked for WWE as the Uncle Zebekiah character in 1995 and 1996 before returning in 2013 for a three-year run as Zeb Colter. The legendary wrestling booker and manager recently gave his thoughts on Duke The Dumpster Droese's arrest.
Droese wrestled for WWE from 1994 to 1996. On May 5, the 56-year-old was arrested after allegedly attempting to purchase sexual content involving a minor off the dark web in 2024.
Mantell appeared on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine alongside Bill Apter, Mac Davis, and Teddy Long. The 75-year-old referenced Droese's 30-day jail sentence in 2013 for selling prescription pills to an undercover police officer. He also reacted to the former WWE star's mugshot.
"He's been involved in this [legal issues] before," Mantell said. "I don't know him that well. I just heard of all this dark side of him when he left WWE. He looks really, really rough right now. He looks like he needs help, or he needs something." [2:05 – 2:25]
Droese turned himself in to the Warren County Sheriff's Department before being released after posting a $10,000 bond. The former wrestler will attend an arraignment hearing at Warren County Circuit Court on May 28. If found guilty, he faces two to four years in prison.
Mac Davis on Duke Droese's life after WWE
Following his latest arrest, Duke Droese lost his job as an Adult Recovery Court Program (ARC) DUI Coordinator. He previously worked in an elementary school as a special education teacher before his 2013 sentence.
Responding to Dutch Mantell, The Wrestling Time Machine host Mac Davis explained why he was surprised to hear about Droese's arrest:
"There was a period of time, too, when it came to Duke that he had a podcast. This is the last I remember of Duke being on social media. He had a podcast, and a lot of people would come on the podcast and they would talk about fighting demons and recovery and stuff like that, so this news, really, when it broke, kinda stunned me. I was like, wait a minute, the last time I saw him, he was trying to help people." [2:27 – 2:49]
Droese is best known to wrestling fans for his over-the-top garbage man gimmick in WWE. He shared the ring with several big names, including Jerry Lawler, Steve Austin, and Triple H.
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