"I don't know why they would do that" - Dutch Mantell reacts to AEW allegedly rejecting 5-time WWE Champion's offer to join

Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell has shared his opinion on AEW reportedly turning down Bret Hart's offer to join the Tony Khan-led promotion as an agent.

Bret "The Hitman" Hart is one of the most prominent names in the history of pro wrestling. During his storied WWE tenure, he won the world championship five times and locked horns with some of biggest stars at the time, including Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan. Despite being retired from in-ring competition for years, Hart can be a valuable asset for any pro wrestling company.

Recent reports suggested that Bret Hart had offered to be a backstage agent for AEW. However, the company allegedly turned down his offer. The news sparked widespread debate in the wrestling community, with fans and professionals expressing whether Tony Khan made the right decision by rejecting The Hitman's proposal.

Dutch Mantell has also weighed in on the Jacksonville-based promotion reportedly turning down Hart's offer to join them as an agent. On a recent episode of the Story time with Dutch Mantell podcast, the former WWE manager said:

"I don't know why they would do that. But I think him, as an agent, he would want too much money to start off with. I think putting him in the spot to where he could help you immediately, he'd be in a better position as an on-air character (...) that would utilize and monetize his appearances in AEW. I don't know how good a producer he is. I wouldn't think he is that. To me, his talent was in the ring." [0:45 - 1:27]

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WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart comments on AEW's current direction

Bret Hart has previously appeared in All Elite Wrestling. On May 25, 2019, he unveiled the company's world championship during the Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

In an interview with HNLive, WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart said the following about the current product of the Jacksonville-based promotion:

"AEW has gone in a bad direction with all the violence and gore. I watched an episode, Dr. Martha Hart doing her big press conference, I'm watching AEW and [Jon Moxley] is sticking a fork in somebody's head for five minutes with a close-up. This isn't wrestling. I would recommend turning all that off and not watching because it's not very good. Wrestling is going in bad directions because people don't know what wrestling is or was." [H/T The Sportster]

Despite the rumors, there is still no official confirmation on whether AEW turned down Bret Hart's offer. Regardless, The Hitman is very popular among the company's talents, as top names like CM Punk and FTR have often paid tribute to him on TV.

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If you use any quotes from the article's first half, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and add a H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription.