Dutch Mantell on "The Genius" Lanny Poffo

[@TheEWFX29]

That was nice from Dutch. Didn't sugarcoat anything yet said he was a good guy. If you leave this world and they said you were a good guy and had no reason to make others mad. And they hope you were happy personally is the best one could ask for. Being respected and cared for are the most you could hope for in this world. RIP Lanny.

[@seanmcclure]

I will never forget his match complete with his stretching and cartwheel against Hulk Hogan. RIP. To those celebrating his death because he legit criticized wrestlers no longer with us get over it. He is among the many, many others who told what he believed the truth was. He was honest and didn’t lie just because someone died. Respect.

[@bigdaddyroy5382]

Yea fck them guys. People need to learn respect. Especially when they didn't know them from they asshole to elbowb

[@JeremiahEcks777]

Exactly. I loathe how people get all pious when someone died. The truth is people are the same dead as alive. People shouldn't diefy the dead. It's disingenuous.

[@JackBarrett7]

@@JeremiahEcks777 People who cannot spell should not comment on public forums, either. Delete your comment immediately and try again.

[@JeremiahEcks777]

@@JackBarrett7 And what, pray tell, did I spell incorrectly, tough guy?

[@JackBarrett7]

@@JeremiahEcks777 Its hilarious that you do not know. The word is "Deify". Idiot. Delete the comment immediately. Seriously, kid, take it from someone with an education: NO ONE whose educated writes like you do. Do you know who does? Uneducated, broke, unsophisticated "auto-didacts" who desperately want people to think them intelligent. For the third time: Delete your comment.

[@henrikschmidt3964]

I was fortunate to have a bit of e-mail exchanges with Lanny a while back. He was always extremely forthcoming and friendly and as I write this, I am saddened to think that Lanny will never get to visit Denmark, as he talked about. He sent my birthday greetings on Facebook annually so I say we have lost a good man.

[@DaveMoth]

Lanny was definitely an interesting guy. Thanks James and Dutch for this.

[@multivox]

Hey Dutchman! Always enjoyed working with you when I was the announcer for Gator McAllister's promotion in Madisonville, KY. RIP to Lanny. Before Facebook and other social media, Lanny and I connected thru his website. He and I had a mutual friend: Tony Falk. I was Tony's announcer for his All Star Wrestling promotion in Paducah, KY. Then Lanny and I connected thru Facebook. Our birthdays were in December and we always exchanged birthday greetings to one another. You're right about Angelo: cheap! He had that reputation before forming ICW. Chalk it up to his childhood growing up during the Depression, I guess. His cheapness earned him the nickname "the Miser" from his peers behind his back. Later, Angelo would use that as his gimmick in ICW, complete with a mask with a dollar sign on it. Tony told me that by the time he was working for Angelo, the entire ICW crew had to travel together in the moving truck that carried the ring from town to town. And this was during the Kayfabe era. But Tony adds that Angelo retired very wealthy to Florida. As you stated, Angelo taught Lanny and Randy how to invest in the stock market. Tony says on those road trips, one would have a copy of the Wall Street Journal. When one brother was done checking how his stocks were doing, he'd hand it to the other so he could check out the stocks. I know he's survived by his daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons who live in Tampa, if I remember correctly. He always returned stateside to be with them during the holidays. I've never heard a bad word about Lanny. And it's heartbreaking that he died so young and took such good care of himself. But he lived life to the fullest. RIP, Lanny.

[@gnrvintagediecastracing7978]

I am glad to hear Dutch mention Lannys moves that were similar the Adrian Street. I don’t know if anyone ever said it before. I only recently saw Adrian street matches and I immediately thought of how lanny poffos has the same moves.

[@Toracube]

Lanny would recite his great poetry while randy would beat his own head with a chair lol. Lanny was a born entertainer and leaves the world much loved. Heel Lanny reading his poetry while crowds booed was always hilarious, and he always looked like he was having fun out there.

[@thetruth72667]

Sometimes he’d leave the ring during the match to start writing a poem haha! He just knew how to get that crowd going lol

[@jer8177]

One of the best shoot interviewees, along with Dutch. He could also self-felatio. What a guy! RIP Lanny.

[@discokid81]

😂😂

[@vortega472]

His death just happened and it takes time to get a cause of death. - RIP Lanny - you made others look great and in doing so made yourself great.

[@shellyweiers121]

Totally true vortega well said 👏

[@jambo_jackbelly]

Congestive heart failure cause of death

[@midnightmisfitskellyg.5170]

This one hurt because Randy was my favorite wrestler since I was a kid. When Randy died I reached out to Lanny and his mother. Lanny really couldn't have been nicer. He was coming to PA for a indy show accepting a award for Randy. Tito Santana was there as well. Lanny invited me into the ring to speak about his brother. It was such an honor for me to stand in the ring with a Poffo. Lanny wrestled and did a moonsault. I will forever treasure that memory❤

[@smeagolbeagle2316]

And next episode we want to hear more of James' Lanny Poffo impression!! That snippet was so good and ya left us all hangin wanting more! Cheers, mate

[@jeenkzk5919]

Another man who had a distinct voice. You heard that voice, you knew who he was. Based on what Dutch is saying, you know he had a fulfilling life.

[@ryanmontgomery5988]

Andre busting him in Battle Royal on SNE was life altering

[@harrymonsoon739]

The first time I ever saw a wrestler bleed...and it was a full color spectacular!

[@raventalks2776]

When I was a kid Angelo and a group of men came to Lake charles, LA to preach and do some sort of strong man stuff. I'll never forget it. If I recall I think they baptized us kids

[@LordXVI16]

He was a great heel and will be missed R.I.P. Lanny.

[@vortega472]

It's so funny, I missed the genius era - I just knew the Leaping Lanny part where he was a babyface enchantment talent. I feel bad - I mentioned this on Jim Cornette's KZbin channel - as a kid we use to refer to the Jobbers aka Carpenters aka enchantment talent as Leaping Lanny's because he always lost those matches. Just proves how good he was.

[@jonbourgoin182]

@@vortega472 doing a job where you had to make others look good was an art in and of itself. An overlooked part of wrestling in my opinion.

[@TheYogaDawg]

Spot on Poffo impression, James!

[@feloniousintent]

I could listen to the Dutchman talk all day. Love his podcasts.

[@Mr1bigmick]

Thanks James and Dutch.

[@Gunnar.J]

I HAVE to get Dutch's books! He's the best at telling wrestling stories. Has such great knowledge of the business. Legend!

[@DevoJetBoy8680]

Lanny died of heart failure. He arrived from Ecuador for a signing and to film his last shoot interview with the guys at K&S Wrestlefest. He visited with his daughter and attended a wedding. He then attended a Broadway play on Feb. 1st and the next day, Feb. 2nd he dropped dead suddenly. Very, very sad. Lanny Poffo was such a fun, interesting person and yes, as health conscious as anyone.

[@nonyabiz550]

That does not describe heart failure! Do you even know what it is??????? He didn't have heart failure. He would've been short of breath, full of fluid, and under treatment, taking Lasix. Apter said that that day. There is no way they could know that then. No possible way. Y'all need to stop parroting the bullsh_t.

[@DevoJetBoy8680]

@@nonyabiz550 Its all been documented. It WAS heart failure, so shut your f*cking pie hole. You're only 4 months late.

[@JoJo-ie8sl]

The poffos were a strange family, kinda unto themselves. Condolences, Dutch. I know that has to hit hard, seeing your contemporaries leaving

[@virgiljohnson9880]

Super smart 🧠 and honest person

[@Halbared]

So Randy did the Spider-man gimmick decades before playing Bonesaw? Prognostication!

[@CinemaMack]

Definitely before Brad Armstrong in WCW.

[@chanevazquez4610]

Dutch's stash looks like it's about to grow legs and a tail!😂🤣

[@cyclemaster46]

Lanny saved 10% of his earnings each month for 7yrs.Retired a millionaire. THE GENIOUS.

[@g-man2507]

Being cheap and dumb is not a great combination. Transportation costs are significantly greater than gas costs. For example, the IRS considers actual transportation cost at .625 per mile. And what is the value of the driver's spare time and labor?

[@takerdust]

Lanny was emulating George George early on. The Poffo family were fans of Gorgeous George and purchased the rights to George's name.

[@UnitedStatesGovt]

I have the wrestling program from the night of Lanny Poffo's debut match against Dutch Mantell (then Wayne Cowan) in Ann Gunkel's All South Wrestling Alliance.

[@DeadKoby]

Lanny used his gymnastics background to stand out as a unique wrestler. There weren't too many acrobatic guys in that day. I liked the Genius character... because it was different.

[@romanrollins6763]

On Wikipedia it says Lanny died of heart failure. "Dave Meltzer revealed the cause of death to be heart failure"

[@takerdust]

we all know how reliable the Melt can be

[@jamesclick8223]

Wayne Cowan was great in GA. He looked like a wild man,remember great feud with Ted Oats.

[@Yellowblam]

God bless. R.I.P.

[@RossMalagarie]

So Randy Savage started off in a Spiderman costume I guess thats why they put him in the ring with Spiderman in the movie.

[@quietlightning4063]

Great person. Rip

[@RedfishCarolina]

I remember Savage doing that Spiderman gimmick. His first match was against Bonesaw McGraw.

[@robotatomico83]

Off topic - but I've been wanting a YOU PEOPLE t shirt for years!

[@MrSheckstr]

For some reason i want to say that he was really close with andre’ for a time , was his bag man more or less when Tim white wasnt available. I remember some interview he did where he talk about watching Andre’s bootleg VHS of Princess Bride every night on the road for months

[@kmorris4730]

Judging from his Facebook, Lanny looked like he was having a ball the last few years of his life. Dinner with pretty ladies multiple times a week. RIP Lanny. I hope you had fun.

[@slabbusterrtr7690]

Always thought he was strange guy but he was a hell of an ahtlete

[@jasonbuzzalini5174]

Clot shot!

[@lemhanback9595]

I was always a fan of Leaping Lanny Poffo. Yes been a wrestling fan for a long time. 😂😂😂

[@michaelmclaren1333]

Yes dutch we seen the look in your eyes when you said very agile. You were thinking IF you should try and explain and it made me chuckle. And Hogan said "I'm trying to get a push out of him" EDIT: He was the man from Nantucket and trying to prove it to the boys

[@martezdetroit3164]

I think i may have saw him as a kid teaming with his Dad @ the Shiek's undercards

[@williamthompson5504]

He wrote his own poems as The Genius.

[@toddwebb7521]

Well on the Dutch not being certain about them being brothers Lanny looked like young Angelo Poffo so if one of them wasn't Angelo's it was Randy.

[@vfrebel6166]

I saw a picture of young Randy with his mom and dad and he took on more of his mom's features. It's like that with me and my sibling. I look like our dad, she looks like our mom. Same parents but we don't look like siblings because we each take after one parent. Also, I'm the calm rational one, she's a crazy hothead.

[@DevoJetBoy8680]

Lanny was close with a number of wrestlers. He and Jim Duggan were very tight. He was also close friends with Rip Rogers, Rick Martel (Lanny flew all the way to Montreal to surprise Rick at his 60th Birthday party), and Nikolai Volkoff.

[@Nomah1979]

Randy cared deeply for his family...It has been said that in the mid 90s WCW after he bought the Gorgeous George gimmick to bring Lanny in...Randy ended up giving the gimmick to his GF so Lanny sat home for 5 years collecting 150k a year which according to Eric Bishoff was coming off the back of Randy's paychecks and he was ok with it because it was going to Lanny

[@jeffreymoralesmusica6714]

lanny poffo😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@SammyVideoPlex]

I'm not a wrestling fan so I just heard of Lenny death. If he passed away @ 58 years old, that was his brother age when he passed away. I also have irregular heart issues bless you Lenny. Father and both brothers have passed away Rip ❤️

[@TheEWFX29]

He was 68 when he died. Could be heart issues like his brother.

[@yardape99]

I don't think Lanny was on that Joel Fuhrman diet anymore. There was a video before of him talking about it and he had lost a significant amount of weight that was noticable. He had gained back all or most of the weight. RIP Lanny Poffo.

[@ahmadjoyner1175]

Damn. Uncertain causes of death been happening recently for the past few months at an early age. Did Poffo take the jab in the arm?

[@nonyabiz550]

Doubtful but not impossible. There's a reason they're covering up the cause of death

[@jeffnettleton3858]

Lanny did a pseudo-gay gimmick in Detroit, with bleached blond hair. I don't think he was trying to do Gorgeous George, as suggested in this thread (that was for WCW, much, much later); but, was actually intended to be more like Ricki Starr, the 50s and 60s wrestler who did a ballet gimmick (and actually trained in ballet, in addition to being a collegiate wrestler). Star did actual ballet positions, but also did a lot of leaps and showed tremendous agility, in his gimmick matches (he wrestled a straight mat style, in Texas, playing on his collegiate background).

[@DavidSmith-fs6pi]

Lanny Poffo was married to Sally from 1985-1996

[@tomwigal8856]

I just read that Lanny was married twice nothing is known publicly about his first wife but he was married to Vivian since 1984 and they had two children together

[@tomwigal8856]

One child named Megan who is born in 84

[@JasonSum1979]

sad about Lanny but, he had a nice long life! Hopefully he passed away quick and painlessly. You know you are old when so many important figures that made a impact on your childhood are no longer with us… The greatest mystery of life is death itself (We can’t avoid it hopefully whatever comes next is much better then this)

[@jasonkraatz9574]

I kind of wonder myself why they haven’t determined his cause of death. My first thought was a heart attack but nothings been said yet.

[@jeffnettleton3858]

Lanny did admit to using steroids for the matches against Hogan, but only then. It's not likely he would have had the sustained damage that regular users might develop. Angelo lived to a pretty ripe old age and Judy, the mother, as well (possibly into her early 90s); so, a hereditary issue isn't as likely, though not impossible. It is entirely possible he could have picked up something in Ecuador, that could have stressed his system, like a fluid build-up that could lead to congestive heart issues. Of course, without an official cause of death, it could have been anything.

[@jd9119]

Sustained damage? You act like there is a whole plethera of long-term steroid use studies. Since the use of them for performance enhancing purposes is illegal in the US and has been for a very long time, there is very little actual information on it. Mostly, you have anecdotes of guys who had used steroids. But those guys also drank gallons of hard liquor daily AND did opiates AND did muscle relaxers AND did recreational drugs (like coke or heroin). So being like "was it the steroids?" Kind of sounds ridiculous.

[@CornPop2]

RIP

[@jd9119]

I heard he moved to Equador to get away from the covid house arrest and restrictions. You could live a semi-normal life there.

[@waywardson1663]

He was interested in retiring to a gated expat community there over a decade ago, both for the low cost of living and the consistent climate. The only reason he did not move sooner was that he wanted to stay close to his mother in Florida while she was still around.

[@karloslowry9043]

Randy and the genius are total opposite of each other

[@jone2tone133]

He's absolutely right, I'll never believe Randy and Lanny were mothers.

[@kevinconnor3187]

RIP, such a different personality than his brother.

[@jamesbowen8960]

Dutch has a great wrestling mind, you can tell.

[@packpock4369]

Sucks the dynasty is over.. Rip Lanny and Randy

[@maxxthunder5606]

That would explain the car macho man was driving...i saw him after show in Alabama....

[@MrK623]

He is survived by his former wife Sally and their daughter Megan.

[@lloydsharpe7641]

I remember when i heard Lanny was Macho mans brother i was surprised. Didn't look alike sound alike or act alike.

[@GameTime-yj6qv]

I was surprised too, but if you really look at them they do have a resemblance. But their personalities were very different.

[@watersandblue6001]

Yeah they don't look similiar maybe some resemblance but overall not really.

[@robfinlay8058]

It was harder to tell as you pretty much never saw Randy clean shaven, and Lanny also had a beard quite a lot. Clean shaven when they were younger they looked more alike. And they both had very deep voices although they used them in different ways.

[@jeffnettleton3858]

If you saw them together, you could see the resemblance and both resembled Angelo, in different ways.

[@citizenbeeswax7985]

I read from a couple of sources online that he had heart failure, but maybe we’re just repeating rumors

[@nonyabiz550]

You are

[@rodneyelwood2533]

when did Dutch get dentures?

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Lanny remarked about his dad's cheapness . He took offense with it . Stating that his dad was frugal not cheap . Everything they owned was of the best value . Like when he took an interest in photography , Angelo bought Lanny a name brand camera and lenses . He got the lowest pric3 he could of course but the way Angelo looked at it is that every penny saved is that much more you could do in terms of hobbies etc...

[@watersandblue6001]

I never liked the way Lanny was friends with Hogan while his brother hated him so bad.

[@blacksmith44]

I'm surprised that Elizabeth didn't end up with Lanny instead of Randy. Everything Dutch said about the brothers was true.[...] (Kind of like Terry and Dory Funk Jr)... one was Mr. Cool, and the other was a maniac.[...] Lol

[@pinnacleproductions6275]

I had no idea Lanny passed.

[@philipwoody2126]

Dutch when you was greener than grass , gasoline was 30 cents a gallon

[@jonbourgoin182]

10:47 cheaper than Mick Foley and Owen Hart?

[@jeffnettleton3858]

No one could touch the Poffos, on cheapness.

[@Marc_Araujo]

It was heart failure. It was sudden so it was most likely went undiagnosed.

[@nonyabiz550]

No, it wasn't 😂 You have no idea what hf is

[@Marc_Araujo]

@@nonyabiz550 It was reported as undiagnosed heart failure...so you fail.

[@nonyabiz550]

@@Marc_Araujo It was reported THAT day by somebody that couldn't possibly have known that, not by a coroner, and without even the least supporting evidence. You can't do anything but parrot because you lack the the most basic medical knowledge or common sense but by all means continue to prove it like a braying azz

[@nonyabiz550]

@@Marc_Araujo 🙄

[@namelessentity5851]

Sounds like he had more of a philosophical mind, rather then a mechanical one.

[@completesentences2125]

People die suddenly now…no sense in inquiring. RIP Lanny.

[@jambo_jackbelly]

Crazy the Iton Sheik is 81 and alive with 5-6 decades of drug and alcohol and Lanny a health nut dies at 68

[@MichaelReinprecht-wu1xx]

Just says heart failure on Wikipedia

[@Commenter007]

His cause of death hasn't been released yet because the autopsy hasn't been finalized. Takes a while to toxicology tests.

[@ohappy2bme1961]

Very sad, Lanny died due to Congestive Heart Failure 😥😥

[@nonyabiz550]

No, he didn't

[@Halbared]

Randy may have been cheap, but he knew how to take care of family. Playing hundreds of thousands of dollars for his brother's cheques for many years.

[@kenneth5752]

Heard randy save his money from wrestling and that why he retired from wrestling, he didn't return to wrestling . That unlike Rick flair who know to spent money and that why Rick flair keeps coming back to wrestling

[@gregoryturner9530]

Aneurysm?

[@bernardcole2464]

Caused of Lanny's death is heart failure.

[@jamesrender3464]

It's been reported cause of death congestive heart failure.

[@vladdawoken4181]

... due to covaids schmax

[@andrewclayterman6230]

Banging five 19 year old latina housekeepers a week will do that to you..

[@timreid9556]

Who did Lanny slap the taste out of? Kanyon? Edit: does not look like Kanyon, kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpmaiHRsnMR-f9k

[@bradpaton3927]

Dork Side Of the Ring Presents "Leaping" Lanny Poffo & His Latina Harem...., but seriously, RIP "Genius".

[@quicoboy]

...you almost make it sound like a murder mystery, Dutch...you think it was the maids?...so was he really loaded, who's keepin that money?...lol...and I get the comparison...I was one those "geniuses" too...knew everything there was to know about the medieval period, but couldn't change a fookin tire to save my life...poetry and history, no problem did they pose to me...but I couldn't light a water heater or oven pilot for shitte...my dad considered educated people as "intelligent," and ingenious people as "smart"...the name's fitting...love y'alls work...

[@jesshansen1397]

"I wonder why they won't release that or say anything about that." Not wanting to get cancelled the interview moves on. We all know why people are dying suddenly.

[@killerjoe7596]

Sometimes people just die. Not everyone lives to be eightiy. Lanny probably would have died years earlier if he had abused steroids or was highstrung like his brother Randy.

[@tonystracener9078]

Meltzer said heart failure but who knows

[@rodneyelwood2533]

Dutch rode with me one time and never paid me trans!!!

[@wallaroo1295]

The more I find out about The Poffo Brothers... the less I like them as my childhood heroes.... Macho Man was a sick groomer pervert who went after Stephanie... and Lanny was just an asshole.

[@spudgunn8695]

So, Lanny was book smart, but hopeless at anything practical? Sounds like he WAS a bonafide Genius then. Never met anyone with a stupidly high intelligence level that could work out everyday life. It's why so many of them never leave education!

[@markw110]

I hate to be that guy...but the Poffo Brothers had a Jewish mother...perhaps influenced their financial views...😅

[@chrism1950]

But since he was cheap, he probably wouldn't go to a doctor, hospital, etc?

[@leejames1839]

Dutch I gotta ask u wearing makeup 😆

[@greatest515]

Dutch gossip like a women