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Dutch Mantell believes WWE should ban Ridge Holland from using the belly-to-belly suplex following his recent incident with Big E.
Holland performed the move on Big E at ringside during the March 11 episode of WWE SmackDown. The New Day member landed heavily on the mat at an awkward angle, causing him to suffer a broken neck.
Mantell, a legendary wrestling booker and manager, spoke to WSI’s James Romero about the unfortunate botch. He said Holland was mostly to blame and questioned whether the Englishman should be allowed to continue suplexing opponents:
“First of all, I’d ban the one that Ridge Holland used on Big E. That would be one of the first ones, I think, or just ban him from doing it.” Mantell continued, “This is what people have to understand about wrestling: you have to trust your opponent… I think the blame there you can put about 25 percent on Big E and about 75 percent on Ridge Holland.” [0:38-1:23]
Mantell added that freak accidents in wrestling can sometimes lead to life-changing injuries, such as paralysis. In this case, he thinks Big E is “very, very lucky” to still be walking.
Dutch Mantell also wants WWE to ban the Spanish Fly
The Spanish Fly is a top-rope move which sees a wrestler perform a moonsault while holding onto their opponent. Charlotte Flair and Ricochet are among the most notable current superstars who have occasionally used the move.
While Dutch Mantell understands that fans enjoy watching high-flying action, he thinks the Spanish Fly is destined to injure someone one day:
“What is that move they call the Spanish Fly? You hook him and you go [flip over]. I forgot who does that, but I think that move needs to be banned. Somebody’s gonna get hurt with it, and a lot of those dives out of the ring to the floor over the top… I guess people pay to see that, but they’re very, very dangerous moves.” [1:43-2:12]
Ricochet performed a Spanish Fly on Sheamus during the February 18 episode of WWE SmackDown. Mantell criticized the move at the time, saying he thought the Intercontinental Champion was going to break his own arm.
Please credit WSI and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
