Well, it’s a rainy and wet Monday afternoon and I’m feeling inspired to do something that I haven’t done in quite a while and that’s write.  But I’m not just going to write about anything.  I’ve got pro wrestling, the world’s oldest and greatest sport on the mind.  So yes, my faithful friends (both of you), that means it’s time to do some of that infamous “Salt Tossing” as only I can do.  Welcome back to pro wrestling’s most eclectic column, ‘Tossing Salt – Worldwide News”. I’m Doug and if Ivan Koloff doesn’t get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next year, we riot.  Let’s do this.

Raw comes live from Chicago tonight?  Is this the night that we’ll see the return of CM Punk to the WWE family?  Nah, I don’t think so either.

But maybe we’ll find out who the bunny is?  Justin Gabriel has been playing the role on the house shows and I’ve heard talk that it’s supposed to be Darren Young.  Personally, I think it’s Fandango.  After all, he hasn’t been on television for a while and we all know that the Bunny is a great dancer.  Haven’t you ever heard of the “Bunny Hop”?… lol

I’m sure that everyone has noticed how the Wyatt Family seems to be in the “de-push and forget about ’em for a while” mode.  It started with the loss to John Cena and then the back and forth with Chris Jericho, but WWE creative seems to have totally just dropped the ball with Bray, Harper and Rowan.  I think they need a little extra sparkle to reignite the fire and put them back in the main events again and I know exactly who would be perfect.  Lisa Marie Varon, aka Victoria.  A few weeks ago, I came across a picture of Victoria with Bray Wyatt and it just clicked.  Remember the crazy-woman Victoria back in the attitude era, when she was partnered with Stevie Richards and being a woman wrestler actually meant something?  Now picture that woman standing next to Bray Wyatt as Sister Victoria.  It would work and be awesome.

And for those naysayers who think that Bray and the family don’t need another person, just think of it like this.  When Shawn Michaels made the transition from tag team to singles wrestler, the WWF used Sherri Martel as the extra sizzle to get him over just that much more.  And then they used Sherri as Randy Savage’s “Macho Queen”, it added that extra kick to the character.  Using the same wave of thought, Sister Victoria.  HHH and Vince need to make it happen.

Happy Birthday to legendary female great and former United States Women’s Champion Ann Casey…

Let’s go look in the mailbox and see what we can find…

Not many questions in the old mailbag this week, but I’ll answer the two that I have.

Of all time, it has to go to the man, the myth, the original “Rock”, one half of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew and a founding member of the legendary Four Horsemen.  I’m talking about Ole Anderson.  As for why. listen to the promos.  Listen to the man talk.  Watch the man in the ring.  He’s as tough and real as they come.  And he’s Ole freakin’ Anderson.  What more reason do you need.

There are a few I’d like to see, but for mostly age and generational reasons, they could never happen.  Hulk Hogan versus Steve Austin would have been fun to see.  Daniel Bryan versus the late Brian Pillman would have been good.  And how about Arn Anderson in his prime versus Cesaro.  That would be stiff, high impact and awesome to see.  Mick Foley versus Bray Wyatt is another that comes to mind.  And one for the ladies, how about Amazing Kong (Kharma) versus Beth Phoenix versus Victoria.

And now, let’s jump over and do that “Fact Or Fiction” thing that I do from time to time…

As per the usual, these questions come from my friends over at 411mania.com.  The answers and comments afterwards are all me, myself and I.  Just wanted to clarify that.  Let’s get going.

FACT:  It was a crappy way to end a pay-per-view main event, but I guess it’s okay since it keeps Cena strong (“Brock never pinned me”), frustrates Brock and makes him long for revenge (“Cena made me look bad”) and adds Seth to the mix by pissing off both Cena and Brock (“He crashed our match!”).  We’ve been seeing Cena and Seth have their issues on RAW this past week, but what I’m looking forward to is seeing Brock and Heyman seek retribution for that “Curb Stomp”.  Hell In A Cell will be a great way to wrap up the Cena / Brock issues (for now) and then I’m hoping that we see Brock and Seth go a few rounds while Cena moves off and away from the WWE World Championship picture and into a lower level feud for a few months (years).

FICTION:  I think it may actually help because it helps to make Reigns more sympathetic and real to the fans, plus it will help to slow things down a bit.  WWE has a bad habit of rushing things when they don’t need to and thus, what should be a big moment gets overlooked and quickly forgotten.  Roman’s push seemed, to me, to be getting rushed with too much going on in too many directions.  Now, there’s an opportunity to pull back a little bit and slow things down and let the fans appreciate what they have.  I hate it that Roman had to have surgery, but career wise, it could probably be the best thing to happen for him right now.

FACT:  I almost said “fiction” as I started thinking about such great feuds as Hornswoggle versus El Torito, Fandango versus Summer Rae and Layla, Titus versus Darren Young, Zack Ryder versus WWE Creative, etc, but most of those were cut short due to lack of interest and caring.  Brie versus Nikki is bad, getting worse and seems like it will drag on forever, or at least until Daniel Bryan comes back and they can switch the feud to the husband / boyfriend (Bryan / Cena) instead.  It kind of makes me wonder what they’re smoking up there in WWE HQ.  The only real appeal that the Bellas had going for them was their “twin” status and now, that’s pretty much been destroyed and is over with.  This compelling feud, that even Jerry Springer couldn’t make interesting, may end up being their downfall and expose their weaknesses as performers for all the world to see.

FICTION:  A title change should mean something and have importance.  This flip-flopping of the titles, all the back and forth, just cheapens the titles and what they’re supposed to represent.  ‘Nuff said!

FICTION:  While it obviously wasn’t one of his best or most memorable runs, I don’t think it’s fair to call anything involving Chris Jericho a failure. Chris came in and worked his ass off as always and had some great matches against Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton.  The problem lies more with the creative direction of the WWE and where they decided to focus their attention and give the push.  Chris Jericho did his part, but the WWE dropped the ball and fumbled.  It’s simple as that.

FICTION:  It’s TNA and even when things look good, they have a bad habit of screwing up and shooting themselves in the foot.  I hope that things work out and TNA is around for many, many years to come.  I hope that, but to be honest, when they can’t seem to secure a TV deal, when the top stars are letting their contracts expire and then leaving for other ventures, etc… It just doesn’t look very bright over in the land of Impact! and I don’t need to put on the Sister Cleo outfit to see that the future looks dark and unclear.  I hope that I’m wrong, but if TNA is still around a year from now, I’ll be very surprised.

And there you go.  Let’s move on and get to shakin’ and bakin’ with some…

Will Sting end up in a WWE ring actually wrestling?  That seems to be the big question on everyone’s mind.  And if he does lace up those boots and climb into that squared circle, who would his opponent be?  Here are the five men that I think would make the most sense.

5. Triple H:  He’s the head of the WWE, the leader of “The Authority” and the biggest heel in the WWE right now.  And would it really be “best for business” to let someone else take care of the man they call Sting?  HHH is still a strong in-ring performer and as the legit top dog in the WWE, he would have a vested interest in putting down Sting and putting him in his place.  Sting is a natural leader and doesn’t play well with “authority” as his track record clearly shows.  HHH could carry Sting to a great match and make some major money for the WWE in the process.  It would really be a good way for Sting to make a strong impact with the WWE fans with minimal effort.

4.  John Cena:  The match would end up being a total squash, almost as bad as what Brock did to Cena last month, but the impact it would have.  People want to hate Cena more often than not and could you imagine the reaction if Cena was to go heel on someone like Sting?  It would have to be done as a “friends turn rivals” type of deal, but it could be done.  And it would be fun to watch the build for the match.  I don’t think that the Icon would stand a chance in the ring against Super Cena, but the hype would draw interest and that’s what matters the most in today’s WWE.

3.  Randy Orton:  Randy was once known as the “Legend Killer”.  Sting is the ultimate icon and legend and would be exactly the kind of target that Orton would go after. It writes itself and could be a great feud.  Randy is strong enough in the ring to carry Sting and make him look like a million bucks.  It’s just a natural and probably makes too much sense for the WWE. I’d like to see it though.

2.  Bray Wyatt:  Sister Abigail isn’t happy because of another presence in the WWE that disturbs her, the presence of the man known as Sting. That’s all the reason that you need and instant feud.  I’m not sure if Sting, at this point, could handle a singles, high-impact match against Bray, but with Harper and Rowan around, he wouldn’t have to.  If Sting wrestles, the singles matches need to be kept to a minimum and it would be better to use him in tag matches where he can come in, hit his moves and get out.  So the Wyatt’s decide to go after Sting, Sting recruits a couple of partners that he’s familiar with and aren’t really being used much anyhow (maybe Big Show since they’re former tag partners from WCW and Christian because.. well, he’s Christian and it would make the Peeps happy… Then it’s six-man action and lots of promos and build until we get the singles match blow-off at one of the big ppv’s between Sting and Bray. Sounds like a plan, right?

1.  The Undertaker: Still the ideal match and setting.  Build up the rivalry with promos and vignettes.  They go at each other at Wrestlemania and both retire for good from active competition at the end of the night. The consumate storyline and match.  It needs to happen.

Okay, I had this idea about the upcoming Survivor Series.  And here it is…

Coming up on November 23, 2014 from St. Louis will be the WWE Survivor Series.  As most long time fans can remember, the big sell for the Survivir Series was always the multi-man (and women) matches between different “teams”.  The WWE has moved away from that concept for the most part over the past few years, but I think that this year would be a great time to bring it back and I have an idea how to make some fun and interesting traditional “Survivor Series” matches, as well as do what the WWE wants to do the most, promote the WWE Network.

We all know that the biggest sell for the Network is the great video library featuring all of the shows and pay-per-views of the past.  And whenever legends, icons and performers from those past events show up at a live WWE event, they always get a big pop.  So what I’m proposing for this year’s Survivor Series is two “team versus team” Survivor Series matches with four teams of current WWE Superstars who aren’t scheduled for matches at the event or not being used very often, being “coached” by WWE Legends.  Picture this:  “Team HBK”, coached by Shawn Michaels, who will be at ringside versus “Team Hart”, coached by Bret Hart, who will also be at ringside.  You could have segments on RAW, Smackdown and The Network leading up to the event showing HBK and Bret going around, talking to the WWE Superstars and “recruiting” for their teams.  Maybe “Team nWo” coached by Kevin Nash and Scott Hall versus “Team Horsemen”, coached by Ric Flair and Arn Anderson.  “Team Hogan”, coached by Hulk Hogan versus “Team Piper” coached by Roddy Piper. So many legends and possibilities and it would create interest and draw those fans who haven’t been  around for a while.  It could also create some more buzz for the WWE Network as the new fans would (hopefully) subscribe to the Network to learn more about these “legends” that would be leading and coaching their teams. It would create interest, make money and put butts in the seats.  It would be best for business. Are you listening Vince, HHH and Steph?  Think about it.

And finally, I need to tell you about a show that’s coming up next weekend.  All Pro Classic Wrestling presents:  BREAKTHROUGH.  It’s at Carver Middle School in Laurel Hill, NC on Saturday, October 4th.  Bell time is 5:00pm.  Three big main event matches are scheduled.  Ty Tyson and Brady Pierce face off for the APCW Heavyweight Championship.  NWA Eastern States Champion Lance Erickson defends against the challenge of Timmy Lou Retton.  And Ring of Honor star Caprice Coleman is taking on the warrior, Dylan Kage in what should be a match for the ages.  Plus look for such stars as The Main Attraction (Chris Steele & Scott Powers), Big Country, The Chosen, Steven Hunter, Gluteus Maximus, Corey Duncam and many others.

When it comes to putting on great shows that spotlight “wrestling” the way it’s supposed to be done, old-school style suitable for the entire family mixed with great athletics and excitement, APCW is second to none.  If you’re in south-eastern North Carolina and want to see a great show with some of the best talent on the Indy scene today.  It’s the future stars of the WWE and TNA, but you can see them today, working their way to the next level.  Be sure to check it out.

And with that, I’m going to close this up.  I’ve got to be at work in about 51 minutes and I guess that means I should go start getting ready.  I’m Doug and thank you for reading.  It was fun and hopefully it won’t be so long before the next column.  We’ll see.

Questions and comments can be sent to Doug28352@yahoo.com. Come and find me on Facebook at facebook.com/saltpalace.  And I’m also on Twitter at @doug28352.  And that’s it for me today.  Have a great day and don’t forget to always support your local Indy wrestling.  As the great Baron Von Raschke would say, “Why am I not yet in the WWE Hall of Fame?”… Oh wait, that’s not it.  Here you go.  “Dat is all ‘de people need to know!”.

Ubuntu!