Dutch Mantel

He attended Clemson University for one year before being drafted into military service undergoing basic training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina before being assigned to the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division, Keown was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal for his service during the Vietnam War.

Wayne Maurice Keown (born November 29, 1949) is an American professional wrestling manager, booker and retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Dutch Mantel (also spelled Dutch Mantell).

Since May 2022, Mantell has co-hosted Story Time with Dutch Mantell, hosted by James Romero on the WSI Network.

Keown debuted in 1972, as Wayne Cowan.

He achieved fame in the regional and independent circuits, as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), as "Dirty" Dutch Mantell.

Keown debuted in 1972 as "Wayne Cowan".

Mantel achieved his greatest notoriety in 1979 when he and then-partner, Cowboy Frankie Laine, as Los Vaqueros Locos, sold out the 16,000-seat Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico for an unprecedented nine weeks in a row, a record that still stands.

They had a unique gimmick, where they put US$1,000 all in silver dollar coins at stake to the team that could defeat them.

He then became "Dutch Mantel", and added the "Dirty" nickname in 1980.

The Dutch Mantel name was taken by an earlier wrestler named Alfred Albert Joe de Re la Gardiur.

He wrestled for various Southern promotions, and achieved considerable success in the National Wrestling Alliance.

Mantel was instrumental in the careers of several huge wrestling stars of the nineties, including the Blade Runners, who later went on to achieve fame as Sting and The Ultimate Warrior.

The Undertaker and Kane both were early recipients of Mantel's astute wrestling knowledge, which served them well in their careers.

Mantel also is credited with giving Steve Austin his stage surname, since Austin's real name at the time was Steve Williams (which was currently in use in wrestling by "Dr. Death" Steve Williams).

Mantell originally considered giving Austin the stage names of either "Stevie Rage" or "William Stevenson III".

At the time, he was a booker for Jerry Jarrett's Memphis territory.

Mantel formed several tag teams throughout his career, including The Kansas Jayhawks (with Bobby Jaggers), and The Desperados, which lasted only two months.

Mantel's other notable achievement was in 1982 when he and Jerry "the King" Lawler faced off in a good guy vs. good guy series.

Fans were torn between these two stalwarts of the Memphis ring wars.

Mantel achieved what no other opponent could do while Lawler was a babyface and that was to get a clear cut win over the King.

In 1986, after Lawler lost a "Loser Leaves Town" gimmick match against Bill Dundee, Lawler and Mantell finally mended their ways long enough to face Dundee and Buddy Landel in a Texas Tornado Death Match in Memphis' Mid South Coliseum in front of a sold out red hot Memphis crowd.

The match went a record 26 falls, taking one hour and 15 minutes to accomplish.

The match saw Dutch Mantell reach his feet before Landell.

In 1989, Mantel worked in the Memphis-based promotion United States Wrestling Association where he was a well known star for the company.

Keown also worked with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) as Uncle Zebekiah in the mid-1990s, and again in the 2010s as Zeb Colter.

In the late 1990s, 2000s, and late-2010s, he worked as a booker for the World Wrestling Council (WWC), International Wrestling Association, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) as well as Championship Wrestling from Florida.

Keown graduated from Walhalla High School in Walhalla, South Carolina.

In 1990, he worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as a commentator on WCW WorldWide alongside Tony Schiavone and in 1991, WCW created a stable known as "the Desperados" consisting of Dutch Mantell, Black Bart and Deadeye Dick.

The Desperados were packaged with the gimmick of being three bumbling cowboys looking to meet up with Stan Hansen to go to WCW and become a team.

Over the course of a few months, they were promoted through a series of vignettes by which they would be beaten up in saloons, searching ghost towns, and riding horses.

Hansen reportedly wanted no part of the storyline and left for Japan, never to return to wrestle in North America.

Without Hansen, the group were pushed into service as jobbers and were dissolved as a stable before the end of the year.

When Jim Cornette's independent wrestling promotion Smoky Mountain Wrestling opened in 1991, Mantel, joined by Bob Caudle, served as the original color commentator for the television broadcasts, and would give something of a heel perspective.

He also hosted a weekly talk segment called "Down and Dirty with Dutch," where he would interview the stars of SMW.

He remained with Smoky Mountain until around 1994.

From 1995 to 1996, Mantel appeared in the World Wrestling Federation as "Uncle Zebekiah."

He was the manager of The Blu Brothers until they were released in October 1995 and in January 1996, he returned as just "Zebekiah" and managed Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw until Mantel was released in December 1996.

He was the last USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion defeating Jerry Lawler on August 8, 1997, in a Title vs All Body Hair match.

Mantel kept his body hair.

The title was vacated in November 1997 when the promotion closed its doors.