Well, here we are.  It’s Monday afternoon and I’m running a day early with the latest edition of pro wrestling’s most eclectic column, the one and only “Tossing Salt – Worldwide News”.  Usually, this is the Tuesday afternoon guilty pleasure, but there is so much happening and my personal schedule has gotten so crazy, I decided to go ahead and jump the gun a bit and write today instead of tomorrow.  It’s been one helluva weekend with the Hall of Fame Ceremony and then Wrestlemania XXX yesterday.  The Streak is over.  I’m still in shock over that.  And to Brock Lesnar?  Oh vey, but that’s allegedly what Taker wanted to do so how can we complain.  Let’s just jump right to the column, shall we?  I’m Doug, God is great, beer is good and people…. they crazy!  ‘Nuff said!  Let’s do this…

 

 

Ezekiel Jackson announced on Instagram today that his contract with the WWE expired yesterday and he is moving on from the WWE.  A decent talent who had a lot of potential, I’m surprised to see him go.  But he’s been out of action for more than a year due to injuries so I guess it’s not a total surprise.  Good luck to the final WWECW Champion and best of luck in the future.  

 

After last night I’m positive that Cesaro will be a future WWE Champion one day.

 

Jeff Jarrett came out today and posted a press release announcing a new wrestling company called Global Force Wrestling.  More news is to follow, but it looks as if Vince and Dixie have a new player in their yard.  Vince won’t be sweating it, but I think Dixie should be very nervous right about now.

 

Heard rumors that Vickie Guerrero may be leaving the company after this week. I hope not.  There’s something about that woman and her “Excuse Me’s” that I’ve always liked.

 

AJ won the Vickie Guerrero Invitational and retained her title, but the star of that match was Tamina.  I think her time is now.

 

I wasn’t expecting too much from Wrestlemania XXX or the Hall of Fame this year, but the HOF ceremonies were entertaining (and we found out Mr. T loves his mama) and the big show, Wrestlemania, delivered from start to finish. Damn good matches from Cena / Wyatt, HHH / Bryan and the triple-threat main event.  And the streak ended!  I still have a hard time accepting that.

 

So we get Sting and RVD tonight on RAW?  One can only hope.

 

Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock = AWESOME!

 

Congratulations to everyone in the WWE for last night.  The right people won in almost all the matches and even the filler was better than expected and entertained.  

 

Conspicuous by his absence last night was Christian, who was forced to miss the Battle Royal due to concussion suffered a few weeks ago.  That sucks big time for Captain Charisma, but I think his body might be telling him something. How about Christian as a manager though?  That would be pretty awesome and would add at least ten more years to his career.  Hmmmmm..

 

I’m pretty confident that most of you watched both the Hall of Fame Ceremony on Saturday night and Wrestlemania XXX last night, but just in case you didn’t, here’s a couple of cliff-note style recaps, just to keep you in the know…

 

 

It’s the Class of 2014 Induction Ceremony.  Jerry Lawler is the host.  All Hail The King.  Trish Stratus is here and she “stratusfies” as she inducts her bestie, Lita.  Lita talks for a long time about Mexico, Rey Mysterio, Arn Anderson and many other things. She give Double-A and Rey each a beer.  Lita talks about punk music and follow the dreams, etc.  Next up is Diamond Dallas Page.  Mr. Positive is in the house. Some memories about the days gone by and he brings out Jake “The Snake” Roberts.  Jake speaks from the heart, good and bad, and there isn’t a dry face in the house. I was crying.  Best Hall of Fame moment ever.  Hornswoggle and Torito. Really?  Lawler gets gored. Really?  “Mean Gene” introduces Mr. T’s son, T Jr.  And then we get Mr. T.  He loves his mama!  Kane is out next and with a great speech, talks about William Moody, aka Paul Bearer. Moody’s sons accept in his honor. We get a kayfabe moment of tribute from The Undertaker for his fallen mentor and friend.  Kevin Nash is here and he’s emotional. He shares some Kliq memories and introduces “The Bad Guy”, Razor Ramon.  We get Scott Hall and he’s looking great.  Short and sweet, Scott says that “Bad times don’t last, but Bad Guys do!”.  Here comes HHH, Nash, HBK and X-Pac. It’s a Kliq reunion.Bad News Barrett is here.  He had bad news.  Cody Rhodes gives him a one-man standing ovation.  Next up are the Colon family, Primo, Epico and Carlito. Carlito gets in some shots at the WWE, saying that they need a buffer between the Kliq and The Ultimate Warrior so send out the Colons.  Also comments about “follow the Kliq and their time gets cut.  It’s like he never left!”.  OUCH!  They talk about their father (and Uncle) Carlos Colon and he comes out with a nice little speech, mostly in Spanish to thank the WWE Universe and the fans.  Linda McMahon comes out and has a nice introduction for the Ultimate Warrior. While sugar-coating things a bit, she admits that Warrior was not always the easiest person to deal with.  Warrior comes out and speaks coherently. Surprise!  After a subtle, yet friendly shot at DDP Yoga, Warrior talks about coming up in the business and “the boys” and takes some time to attempt to dispel some of the stories and claims about him.  He puts over the crew and people behind the scenes and some of his experiences with the WWE.  He says that the DVD was wrong and it hurt, but he’s past it and proud to be back and part of the WWE family.  More good vibes and Warrior thanks the fans and says to enjoy Wrestlemania XXX.  The End!

 

And…

 

 

Pre-Show Match:  THe Usos defeated Los Matadores, Rybaxel and The Real Americans in an elimination Fatal 4-Way to retain the tag team titles.  Bad blood and problems with Real Americans.  Swagger blames Cesaro and we see the Patriot Lock.  Zeb tries to keep the peace.  Cesaro turns Swagger into a swinger.  The end of the Real Americans?  Looks like it.  WE THE PEOPLE!  It’s the Hulkster, brutha!  Austin 3:16 in the house!  Can you smell what the Rock is cooking!  They’re in the SuperDome and starting the show.  HHH versus Daniel Bryan.  Awesome match that sees both men getting in their moves.  HHH dominates, but Bryan kicks out of pedigree.  Running knee and Bryan is headed towards the main event.  Steph show her butt and slaps Bryan.  HHH is pissed and it’s after the match ambush time.  Nothing like a sore loser.  Great match to start the show.  Squash TIme!  The Shield defeat Kane and The New Age Outlaws when the Outlaws eat a Trifecta Power-Bomb and Mr. Ass gets his ass pinned.  Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Everyone comes to play.  Cesaro takes out Big Show with huge feat of strength and slam over the top to win. The Swiss Superman is hot tonight!  A great match with Cena versus Bray Wyatt that does what it’s supposed to do.  Bray gets more cheers than Cena and leads the fans in a sing-a-long.  He’s got the whole world in his hands… lol.  Cena wins with the AA.  Wyatt looks creepy and awesome as ever and the loss will only make him stronger.  So far, a great show.  The WWE HOF Class of 2014 comes out and takes a bow.  The Beast versus The Streak.  History is made and the 75,000 in the audience are shocked as Brock Lesnar defeats Undertaker and beats the streak.  I was speechless.  DAMN!  AJ Lee wins the Vickie Guerrero Invitational and keeps her Divas Championship. It was a cluster-f*ck, but better than I was expecting it to be.  Vickie is NOT a happy camper.  Main event time.  A great match with Randy Orton, Batista and Daniel Bryan.  Bryan locks in a “Yes-Lock” on Orton. Here is HHH and Steph.  HHH pulls out the referee.  Scott Armstrong is the new ref, but Bryan takes time to kick him in the face and does the suicide dive on HHH, Steph and Armstrong.  HHH with the HHHammer, but Bryan gets it and lays out HHH.  Teamwork by Batista and Orton as they do a power-bomb / RKO combo on Bryan on the announce table. Looks like Orton hit his back on a moniter.  OUCH!  Batista turns on Orton and the teamwork is over.  Bryan manages to re-enter the match after refusing to be stretchered to the back.  Great back and forth for everyone. Bryan manages to lock in the “Yes-Lock” on Batista and Batista taps.  New Champion.  Yes! Yes! Yes!  Confetti falls and the “Yes Movement!” is alive and in full celebration mode. The End!  And there you go.

 

Say what?…

 

 

“Do you know who I am? You probably don’t. But you will. See, only the cool people know me. Know Carlito Caribbean Cool. I doubt that many of you out there are that cool. You probably ask yourself, “Hey, how did that Carlito become so cool?” It’s simple. I was born this way. And when I come to the WWE, maybe I’ll give you lessons on how to be cool. Cool like me – Carlito Caribbean Cool.”  ~ Carlito Caribbean Cool – September 2004 ~

 

“It’s your duty to shake your booty!”  ~ Disco Inferno ~

 

“Scott Hall was offering driving lessons recently and the only one to apply was Juventud Guerrera”  ~ Bobby Heenan ~

 

“Listen to what I have to say.  Ric Flair is the greatest champion of all time.  As for me, I am a champion… only because I have some big shoes to fill!”  ~ Sting (after beating Ric Flair for the NWA title on July 7, 1990) ~

 

You want answers?  I have them.  It’s…

 

 

 

Of the current roster, in no particular order, it would be Cesaro, Zack Ryder, William Regal, Heath Slater, Zeb Colter, The Miz, Bray Wyatt, Paul Heyman, Curtis Axel and CM Punk (technically, he’s still part of the roster and under contract).

 

 

WCW and Monday Nitro all the way.  I would set the VCR to record RAW and then the Nitro replay every Monday.  I’d watch Nitro live and then watch RAW the next morning or whenever I had time over the next few days.  

 

 

That left the WWE to go to TNA?  It would have to be Kurt Angle. As for moving from TNA to the WWE, Christian.  I know he was just returning home after a couple of years in TNA, but he still made the switch and he’s one of the most talented, if not under-rated men in wrestling today.

 

 

The Cobra, The People’s Elbow, The Worm, The Khali-chop to the head, etc.  Take your pick.

 

 

A “Best of Seven” series with Cesaro versus Dean Ambrose for the United States Championship.

 

 

Beth Phoenix and Victoria (Tara).  As for why, they’re both powerful enough and big enough to be intimidating to anyone, girls or guys alike.  Plus they both have reputations and images that would fit the role of “enforcers” very well.  And if Beth didn’t want to come back to the WWE due to her new “Mommy” duties, how about Victoria and Tamina Snuka together.  They’d be perfect and it’d be a great gig for both of them as Victoria rides out the last few years of her career and Tamina just really starts to hit her prime.  

 

 

If anything was to happen to Lawler, I would promote William Regal up from NXT and put him in the spot next to JBL and Michael Cole on RAW. As for the hosting duties for the Hall of Fame Ceremony, Mick Foley would be fine for that role.  WIlliam Regal (again) would be great in that spot.  Or they could just let Michael P.S. Hayes have it and let the craziness and chaos begin.

 

 

As for being screwed over the most by moving to the WWF, I think One Man Gang becoming Akeem the African Dream, Terry Taylor as “The Red Rooster”, and of course, Dusty with the whole polka-dots character are the ones that come to mind first.  Who was better off?  I can’t really think of any JCP talent that ended up with a better deal in the WWF, but if you go outside the Crockett era, many come to mind.  How about Kevin Nash going from “Vinnie Vegas” to “Diesel”.  HHH went from “Terra Ryzing” in WCW to “Hunter Hearst Helmsley” and we all know how that’s worked for him.  Steve Austin went from “Stunning Steve” to “Stone Cold”.  So it was a mixed bag going to the WWF for some stars and a roll of the dice.  Sometimes, you lucked out and the character worked and other times, you hit craps.

 

 

If I was in charge of the Hall of Fame and selecting the Inductees for the Class of 2015, my picks would be Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, The Fabulous Freebirds, Ivan Koloff, Cyndi Lauper (Celebrity Wing), The Midnight Express (Eaton, Condrey, Lane) w/ Jim Cornette, Madusa and JBL.

 

Speak… Rinse…  Repeat…

 

 

“Don’t tell me what I’m saying! You want to ask me what I’m saying, I’ll tell you what I’m saying! Don’t tell me what I’m saying!” – Vince McMahon

 

“DDP while your in the hospital screaming in pain, your wife will be on her back screaming my name” – Scott Steiner at Superbrawl IX

 

“Not much upstairs, but what a staircase!!” – Jerry Lawler, referring to Debra McMichael

 

“Next time say excuse me BITCH!” – Big Boss Man to Terri Runnels

 

“Hey Rock! At Summerslam, do you want to know what your role will be? I’m gonna make you my bitch!” – HHH

 

“Lets all give a round of applause to the Rock because well….he has my belt. Hell while we’re at it, lets all give me a hand cause…..I got his money! – Mankind

 

“Wendi Richter is getting soft, and it’s all because of this rock and roll nonsense she’s involved with!” ~ Fabulous Moolah – June 1985 ~

 

Feel like playing a game?  No, I’m not talking about HHH. I’m talking about the…

 

 

Last week, I asked you this question.  I began wrestling in my home country of Great Britain in 1967, first under my real name and then using the name of a famous American wrestler with who I shared a similar stature and build.  But that name was soon modified and I began to establish an identity of my own.  I was a tag team partner with one of Britain’s biggest (and I mean that literally) stars, but when we broke up and he turned face, we had a feud that lasted for years until his retirement in 1993.  Though I mainly remained in England, I also worked for a while for Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling and in Germany and Australia as well.  My one main claim to fame in the United States was when I came to Atlanta and joined Kevin Sullivan’s faction for a short time, aiding him in his efforts to end Hulkamania.  I wrestled then not under my more established identity, but instead was named after a mysterious, some say mythical, legend.  My time in the U.S. was cut short when I was diagnosed with cancer and returned home to the U.K.  I have appeared in a couple of movies, including “Chariots of Fire” and “Give My Regards To Broad Street”.  Who Am I?

 

First off, I have to make a correction.  As was pointed out to me by Mr. B.D. Miller, the movie listed above should have been “Quest For Fire” and not “Chariots of Fire”.  Oops!  Sorry Peeps and thank you for the correction.  But that slight goof on my part didn’t prevent many of you from getting the right answer, which was of course Giant Haystacks, aka Loch Ness.  Correctly answering were:  Shane Briggs, Chad Burttram, Jason Vinduska, Brian Johnson, B.D. Miller, Harold Schwan, Ken Parkman and my former tag team partner, Russell Jackson.  Great job all…  Now let’s do a newbie…

 

I’m a second generation superstar who had moderate success as both a singles and tag team wrestler.  Early in my career, I teamed with a “mad dog” for much success and then went on to help break “the enforcer” into the world of wrestling super-stardom when we were a team.  I was a lumberjack of a man for a while and I’ve been called a maniac, but I experienced my greatest success when I quit being serious and just started acting like a clown.  Who Am I?

 

Think you know the answer?  Send your response to Doug28352@yahoo.com or else visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/saltpalace and give me your answers via the inbox.  Questions and comments can also be sent to the same places and you can follow me on Twitter at @doug28352.  Thank you for reading and I’ll catch you on the flip side.  I’m Doug and “dat’ is all de’ people need to know!”

 

Ubuntu!