Legend recalls WWE's "highly toxic" atmosphere after awkward Bret Hart and Triple H moment
Bret Hart and Triple H's contributions to the wrestling business were recognized at the 2025 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Dutch Mantell, formerly known as Zeb Colter, recently recalled how a negative backstage environment contributed to the two men having real-life animosity.
On April 19, Hart seemingly pulled a face after Triple H shook his hand on the WrestleMania 41 stage area. The Hitman famously had issues with The Game behind the scenes in the 1990s. He later accused WWE's Chief Content Officer of trying to ruin The Rock's career.
Mantell performed as the Uncle Zebekiah on-screen character in WWE in 1995 and 1996. On his Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast, the legendary manager discussed the locker room tension in those days.
"When I was there, man, those dressing rooms were highly, highly toxic," Mantell said. "You could just feel the heat floating around in the room because you had The Kliq [Shawn Michaels and Triple H's group], you had all these different cliques, and they were all trying to [be the best]. Say, The Rock, they could see he was up and coming, so they all wanted The Rock to side with them and be on their side." [48:53 – 49:38]
On April 18, Hart became WWE's first three-time Hall of Famer when he and Steve Austin received the inaugural Immortal Moment award. Triple H, a 2019 inductee as a D-Generation X member, headlined the 2025 event with his solo induction.
Dutch Mantell says "nobody was getting along" in WWE
In the early to mid-1990s, WWE began promoting Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels after moving on from larger-than-life characters like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. By the end of the decade, The Rock and Triple H emerged as the company's next top stars alongside Steve Austin and The Undertaker.
Dutch Mantell added that Hart took exception when Triple H allegedly tried to prevent The Rock from becoming a big name:
"And Triple H, according to Bret, didn't like The Rock, and he [Triple H] didn't like Bret, so he's trying to play them against each other. It's just typical wrestling, stab you in the back if you can, and apparently it was working up there because nobody was getting along. Nobody." [49:40 – 50:01]
In the same episode, Mantell explained why fans reacted badly to The Rock's failure to appear at WrestleMania 41.
Please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
