"They can say whatever they want" - Rhea Ripley's recent take faces criticism from WWE Veteran

Last week, during a WWE Live Event, Maxxine Duprit was booed b fans who felt that the RAW Superstar did not have a satisfactory showing. This sparked discourse online and many stars from various promotions reprimanded the fans for their negative energy.

Former WWE manager Dutch Mantell shared his thoughts on the incident, suggesting that since fans paid for the ticket, they had the right to show their dissatisfaction. Addressing Ripley's comment, Mantell said that he neither entirely agreed nor disagreed with the post. However, he felt the Women's world champion's argument to be weakly founded.

On a recent edition of Story Time with Dutch Mantell, the former booker went in detail about his thoughts on the situation:

"I agree and I disagree with Ms Ripley. Fans pay money for a ticket. They expect that performance to be like the other WWE performances. It needs to be a little bit close to it, but apparently, Maxxine Dupri's performance wasn't anywhere close to what they'd expect. So therefore, they're fans. They can say whatever they want to say and determine whether they want to continue watching WWE or buying tickets to their live events. That's their right. What Rhea said, yeah fans need to put themselves in [their shoes] - yeah they do but they don't, and they're completely valid in their criticism of it", said Mantell [1:08 - 2:07]

Dutch Mantell on whether the WWE fans should be blamed

Many times, we have seen even the best stars in the company be booed by fans for reasons extraneous to the ongoing storyline. Sometimes, the jeering is endless and continues across multiple shows, making it a harsh environment for the wrestlers. However, Mantell leans towards supporting the rights of the fans in this situation.

He further explained that since the fans had paid for their tickets, they had the right to express their feelings about the performance they received. Nonetheless, Mantell addressed that it was important to note that Rhea stood up for a friend.

Oftentimes, wrestling fans are too harsh on the wrestlers, not empathizing with their conditions. Do you think this was one of those situations? Do you agree with Dutch Mantell? Let us know in the comments section.

If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.