First of all, let me say I hope everyone has a safe and fun Fourth of July! Thanks to all of our veterans and soldiers who keep us free and to the ones who sacrificed it all. With that being said, I’d like to step back in time to a day when a great time for this kid was staying out late until the street lights came on on a Friday night and then waking up on Saturday mornings to watch my favorite entertainment. That entertainment was Memphis-based wrestling. Unless you’re a dude who was alive during those times, you probably cannot relate.

My grandfather Wilson loved the old wrestling in the days of Gorgeous George and Bruno Sammartino, but there is something different about Memphis wrestling (National Wrestling Alliance, Continental Wrestling Association). I believe it was all the characters. It was broadcast live from the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, to my knowledge. It was Jerry “The King” Lawler, Tojo Yamato, Superstar Bill Dundee, and my favorite wrestler of all time, Dirty Dutch Mantell.

Why was Dutch Mantell my favorite wrestler? He was just a bad dude who looked like he came down off of a mountain. He carried a whip he called Shoo Baby that he would lay down on his opponent if someone was getting out of line (unlike me, who was whipped for doing wrong). He was a heel and sometimes a babyface. That meant he was sometimes the villain and sometimes the good guy, depending on the current storyline.

His real name is Wayne Keown, and he debuted in the professional wrestling world in 1972 as Wayne Cowan. He would achieve fame in the regional and independent circuits, and later as well in WCW, as “Dirty” Dutch Mantell. Keown also worked with the WWF, now (WWE) as Uncle Zebekiah in the mid-1990s, and again in the 2010s as Zeb Colter. From the late 1990s to the late 2010s he worked as a booker for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action (TNA), as well as the Florida-based Championship Wrestling.

Mantell was instrumental in the careers of several huge wrestling stars of the ’90s, including the Blade Runners, who later went on to achieve individual fame as Sting and the Ultimate Warrior. The Undertaker and Kane were early recipients of Mantell’s astute wrestling knowledge, which served them well in their careers. Mantell also is credited with giving Stone Cold Steve Austin his surname. Austin’s real name at the time was Steve Williams—but that name was already in use, and well known in the wrestling world, by Dr. Death Steve Williams. Mantell originally considered giving Austin the stage names of either “Stevie Rage” or “William Stevenson III,” but would later settle on Steve’s birthplace of Austin, Texas, as his now-famous wrestling surname. At the time, Mantell was a booker for Jerry Jarrett’s Memphis Wrestling.

Now, let’s talk about Wayne, the real person behind the Dutch Mantell character. Wayne spent his early life in South Carolina before coming to Tennessee. A lot of people don’t know that Dutch had a granddaughter named Amelia, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 2012. She was hit by a repeat offender who had been under the influence of drugs.

Dutch, along with his daughter, Amanda, were instrumental in getting Amelia’s Law passed in the Tennessee State Legislature in 2015. Amelia’s Law lets judges place transdermal monitoring devices on persons on probation or parole who have a history with drug or alcohol abuse. The man who struck and killed Amelia had a nine-page Tennessee criminal history with numerous felonies. I’m positive this law has helped save many lives.

Another bit of trivia is that Dutch is an Army veteran of the Vietnam War. You can see it hasn’t always been show business but also real life experiences that have shaped Dutch.

Now let’s tie me into the story. I’ve been a Realtor for the last 25 years. I have worked with all sorts of folks. It was 2017 when I talked to Amanda Moore and her husband, William, about purchasing a home here in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. As you know, I like to talk and carry on conversations, and I found out Amanda’s dad was none other than Dutch Mantell. You would’ve thought I was a kid at Christmas!

Later, I was able to meet my childhood wrestling idol, Dutch Mantell. Since then, I’ve gotten to spend some time talking to Dutch both in person and over the phone, and he was a guest on my radio show. He was even kind enough to do a personal service announcement for Mr. Murfreesboro.

In his wrestling days, the storylines said Dutch was a man who wandered along the roads of US Route 190 and hailed from Texas—“The Pride of Oil Trough, Texas.” I had no idea that in between his traveling he was living right here in little ole Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Since May 2022, Mantell has hosted Story Time with Dutch Mantell, a YouTube series co-hosted by James Romero. If you are a wrasslin’ fan you will love his podcast. One of his many stories includes being in the locker room in Puerto Rico when Bruiser Brody met his demise (likely murdered by another wrestler).

Dutch should be in the Hall of Fame, period. He has had his disputes with Ric Flair, but who among us hasn’t. Dutch and his family now live on the Gulf Coast.

Thanks to Amanda and William Moore for helping me put this together!

Remember to drink lots of water if you’re gonna be out in this heat, and as always, go out and do something nice for somebody. God bless.