Tossing Salt Presents:
Wrestling Fact or Fiction
August 6, 2017
DougMaynard.com

Happy Sunday morning, my peeps. And how you be? I’ve got a craving for fried chicken and a cold beer. Damn you Kris Kristofferson. So how is everyone this morning? Me, I’ve been a slack-o as of late. Well, actually, I’ve been working long hours at the store, doing my other stuff and having twisted thoughts in my head running wild. Writing and updating the site have taken a big back seat, but like the two kids in that back seat screaming, “are we there yet?”. I know they’re there and I feel bad for ignoring them, but instead of taking care of bid’ness, I just wanna smack them. Okay, that analogy didn’t work. I’ve been slack, ok? And now, I’m going to start working on getting back on track and providing lots of fresh new content. Lots and lots of stuff. All together now… Yay!

And today, it’s Sunday and time for that weekly “Fact or Fiction” thing, wrestling style. As per the usual, the questions come from my lovely friends over at 411mania.com/wrestling. And the answers / opinions / statements that follow? That’s all me. Let’s do this.

1. Shinsuke Nakamura will defeat Jinder Mahal and win the WWE Title at Summerslam, and then immediately lose it to a Baron Corbin MITB cash in.

FICTION: While that scenario is possible, I’m thinking that we’ll instead see Jinder retain the title once more via shenanigans and a little help from his friends. Baron may tease a cash-in, but I don’t think it’s going to happen yet. Cashing in is more of a “TV moment” than a pay-per-view moment in my mind, where 3 – 4 million will witness rather than just the million or so watching the pay-per-view. So Jinder wins through cheating, Corbin teases but leaves instead and we have a great rematch with Jinder versus Shinsuke on the following Tuesday night as the main event on Smackdown Live, helping to boost the ratings and pull in an audience on TV.

2. You have no interest in seeing UFC’s Cris Cyborg Justino come to WWE and work an angle with Becky Lynch.

FICTION: I don’t really follow UFC or know who Cris Cyborg is, but Becky needs a program and someone to work with. She’s kind of the forgotten child over at Smackdown and this would give her a chance to do something and get back in the big picture of things. It might bring a few new fans to the WWE scene and could be fun to watch. If WWE can cause this to happen, go for it.

3. Raven is correct, “Heavily Scripted Promos Are Hurting Wrestling.”

FACT: A million times fact. Everyone sounds generic and there is no real emotion or feeling in the promos today. The best talkers and promos were always the men who were allowed to be themselves and let their real personality, albeit usually jacked up 500%, shine through. Just giving the wrestlers who can talk bullet points and cutting them loose allows the characters to be more real and establish an emotional contact with the fans that reading scripted lines, that are usually written in a manner to no one would talk normally, will ever do. If a person is a good talker, just give them the basics and let them run wild. It brings out the emotion, the energy and makes people more ready to invest in these characters. And if the wrestler isn’t a good talker, give him a manager to do the talking. Managers are a lost art in the world of wrestling and should be brought back into the mix more often, like w/ Titus and his “Titus International Brand.” Titus sucks in the ring, but has charisma and is a good talker. Apollo Crews is good in the ring, but is pure vanilla in his promos. Cut the strings and scripting, let the wrestlers who can talk do that and things will improve 100%. ‘Nuff said!

4. Carmella will not cash in her MITB at Summerslam.

FACT: When is James Ellsworth due back from his “suspension” to be at Carmella’s side? If he’s back then, the possibility is there that Carmella may cash in and go after that title, but if he’s still out, it won’t happen. Like I said earlier with the question about Baron Corbin, I think that cashing in is more of a “TV moment” these days and will probably happen on Smackdown Live instead of at the big show. Carmella may fool me and get that big “SummerSlam moment”, but I just don’t see it yet.

5. You are not convinced at this time that Big Cass has what it takes to be a top singles star in WWE.

FACT: I like Cass and he’s got that “it” going on about him, but he’s not there yet in my opinion. He’s not a great wrestler and just being “7 foot tall” isn’t enough in today’s WWE to ensure success. He reminds me of Test or even Kevin Nash, but without the personality shining through. But then again, folks like Nash and even Test could cut real promos and let some of their real personality show through, an option that Cass doesn’t really have going for him. Cass could really use a good manager to help him develop and grow as a performer. He’s going to do okay and may even win a title or two in the future, but unless he can find a way to stand out and step up his character and game, it’s going to be a rocky ride for this young man.

6. What is your current level of excitement in regards to the NXT brand?

On a scale of 1 – 10, I think I’m at a 6 or so. I love the addition of Drew Galloway to the mix and I’m a big fan of Bobby Roode. And Asuka is my new, favorite “beloved”, almost in “Ivory status”. She’s amazing. The talent is there and the action is great and anything that has William Regal attached to the product as the General Manager has my attention. I just don’t have time to watch the product and show each week. I wish I could. I do watch the NXT: Takeover Specials though and they always deliver from bell to bell with great action and stories. NXT is damn good. It’s not at the excitement level it was maybe two years ago, but it’s still head and tails better than most everything else out there. I just wish I had more time for it.

And that’s all for that. Thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts and questions are welcome. And now, I think it’s time for breakfast and maybe a wrestling Q&A. I have so many questions backed up in my mailbox and notes. I really need to step up my game. I’ll work on it. And “dat is all de’ people need to know!”. Baron Von Raschke for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018. I’m down and gone. Catch you later.

Ubuntu!