Reason why Dutch Mantell was replaced on VICE's Dark Side of the Ring

Dutch Mantell has revealed he was replaced by Chris Jericho as the narrator of VICE’s Dark Side of the Ring due to his nationality.

Mantell, born in South Carolina in the United States, narrated the first season of the popular series in 2019. Jericho, who is American-Canadian, took over as the narrator when season two began in 2020.

Speaking to Sportskeeda Wrestling’s SP3 on Tru Heel Heat, Mantell said the Dark Side of the Ring producers were told they could only employ Canadians.

“They signed an agreement to help get it financed because I don’t think VICE financed it totally," said Mantell. "But part of the financing went down to the Canadian broadcasting company. Since it’s a part of government – this is what I hate about government – they said no employee could be on the staff if they weren’t Canadian. And since I’m not Canadian, they couldn’t use me."

Watch the video above to hear Dutch Mantell's thoughts on various current-day WWE topics, including the first night of the 2021 draft.

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Dutch Mantell wanted to continue as the Dark Side of the Ring narrator

Dark Side of the Ring is a documentary series which details some of the most controversial topics from wrestling history. Recent episodes told the stories of WWE’s Plane Ride From Hell, Chris Kanyon’s career, and Onita’s FMW.

Dutch Mantell added that while he wanted to continue narrating the series, the producers were left with no choice but to replace him.

“They said, ‘There’s nothing I can do about it,'" Mantell added. "I said, ‘Okay,’ and that’s why I’m not there for the second, third, fourth seasons. And it paid well, so the Canadian government screwed me out of about 70 grand."

The second season of Dark Side of the Ring concluded with an episode about the death of Owen Hart. The episode was watched by 626,000 viewers, making it the most-watched program in VICE history.

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Please credit Tru Heel Heat and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.