Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
AEW Blood & Guts, Wrestlemania, Otto Wanz & More
March 15, 2020
DougMaynard.com

It’s late and I’m tired. I have questions from Kevin on Twitter, Crazy Joe, Ace, and Night Wolf. And now, we have some answers too. No time for chit-chat. Let’s get busy.

From Kevin:
Your thoughts on the upcoming “match beyond “? Does the Inner Circle continue their dominance over the All Elite, and build towards an All Elite implosion? Or does All Elite finally get a measure of revenge over the Inner Circle? And does Jon Moxley get involved?!

I guess we should call it “Blood & Guts” as AEW does, but make no mistake, it’s the War Games, the Match Beyond, created by Dusty Rhodes while booking for Crockett and the NWA. I would prefer to see Jericho and company dominate and use the tension between the Young Bucks & Adam Cole to cause problems among the Elite and maybe even steal a win in the process. Traditionally, heels rarely come out on top in this kind of match, but one can hope. Cody, The Bucks, & Omega might want some retribution, but I don’t think this event will be the time nor place for it to happen. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Jon Moxley get involved towards the end of the match, but I also expect to see MJF and maybe even the newly arrived Lance Archer get involved as well. It could be used as a way to essentially reset the playing field and set up some new feuds and battles. How it goes and if it even takes place at this point, what with AEW being forced to cancel shows due to the Coronavirus, but if AEW goes forward and airs this match as planned, I think that little bit of the bubbly will be in order and the Inner Circle (and friends) will stand tall at the end of the evening.

From Crazy Joe:
So far, Wrestlemania has not been officially canceled. Do you think this will happen?

I think that the event happening at the Raymond James Stadium is not going to happen. But I also think that the show must go on and hopefully, WWE will come up with an alternate means to hold the show and air it, as originally scheduled, on the WWE Network.

If WWE does cancel Mania, what should they do as an alternative if anything?

Do as they’re doing RAW and Smackdown and just hold the show at the WWE Performance Center. It’s the best option thus far.

XFL has suspended its debut season due to the Corona Virus. So you think there will be a Season 2?

The ratings were good and people were starting to pay attention to the XFL product. I think that while the forced shutdown may have put a bit of a damper on things, there is no reason that, so long as the TV deals stay in place, the XFL can’t pick right up where they left off and flourish. There will be Season 2.

From Ace:
The Road Warriors & Demolition versus The Usos & The New Day in a 10-Man Elimination Tag Team Match. Who wins?

A ten-man tag so that means Ax, Crush and Smash are all there for Demolition while Xavier, Big E, & Kofi are all there for the New Day. Animal and Hawk represent the Road Warriors and Jimmy& Jey are there for their team. And the winners: The Road Warriors and Demolition of course. “Why?”, you ask. Because they’re bigger, stronger, snack on danger and dine on death and dead men don’t make money. That’s why.

Independent Wrestling is taking a huge hit right now due to the Corona Virus. Do you think it can rebound?

I don’t know about in other parts of the country, but here in my part of North Carolina, Independent wrestling has been flourishing and every weekend, there is at least one show and usually more within thirty minutes away. But due to the virus, every show I was aware of has been canceled or postponed until May or June at the earliest. It’s a big hit for the promotions and also for the wrestlers that were booked and now have those nights off. It will survive though. The promoters that are consistent and have a good product will make it through and the wrestlers that find a way to keep their names out there even if they can’t wrestle right now will do okay as well. Just keep the faith and stay strong and positive and all will be fine in the end.

Does Otto Wanz belong in the WWE Hall of Fame?

Wanz, for those of you not aware of who he was, is a former AWA World Champion and the founder/promoter of the CWA (Catch Wrestling Association) which promoted shows in Austria and surrounding European countries. For the whole of his career, Wanz is deserving of a spot in any wrestling Hall of Fame, but I can’t see him ever being inducted as one of the main guys. Considering that his only claim to fame in the United States was a forty-one-day reign as the AWA Champion in 1982. An induction as part of the “Legacy Class” would be merited though and I can see that happening eventually.

Night Wolf:
With how the WWE books wrestlers today, would you say Brock Lesnar is the last true monster heel in WWE?

Not really because I don’t consider Lesnar a true heel. He’s all business and doesn’t mind taking shortcuts and being a bully, but when I think of a true heel, I see someone who can’t be trusted or respected and will run from a fight rather than man-up and face his rivals. Brock is legit tough and while not a fan-favorite, he is respected by most of the fans. Brock is a tweener at best. For a true heel in WWE, I look at guys like Baron Corbin or maybe Seth since he’s assumed this “Monday Night Messiah” gimmick. But Brock? Not really.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Any comments, thoughts or questions, feel free to drop me a line. Contact me here at the site or on Twitter at @Doug28352. Until the next time, take care and stay safe. I’ll see you on the flip side.

Ubuntu!