Tossing Salt Presents
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Ronda Rousey, Kamala, Kenny Omega & More
April 14, 2020
DougMaynard.com
I take a few days off and yet, the questions keep coming. It’s time to play catch-up and clean out this mailbox. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Let’s do this…

Jackson:
Ronda Rousey has created a stir among fans and other wrestlers, commenting about “ungrateful fans” and how wrestling is “fake fighting”. Thoughts?

She’s 100% correct. Wrestling fans are among the most, how did Daniel Bryan put it, “fickle” creatures in existence. No matter what a wrestler does, someone is going to bitch and complain. And as for the whole “fake fighting” comment, so what? That’s exactly what it is. Wrestlers are great athletes, actors, and improvisational talents that bust their asses for our entertainment and perform art that is amazing beyond belief. But the matches are pre-determined and the fights are choreographed. If you want to hate Ronda for her comments, then hate Vince, John Cena, Bray Wyatt, The Undertaker and anyone else who has admitted the truth as well.

Tomer:
Which wrestlers have you met in real life and how were your experiences with them?

I used to be roommates with a very talented and successful wrestler, Michael Youngblood, back in the mid-nineties and met many wrestlers as a result. Most were just nice guys and regular people who just happened to wrestle. Names include Greg Valentine, The Ringlords, The Rock & Roll Express, Kid Cash. The Hardy Boyz, Shannon Moore, Lodi. Brian Adams, Bryan Clark, Ann Casey, Penny Banner, and many others. Most experiences were good although meeting Sable was less than impressive and Tammy Sytch didn’t appreciate a joke I made at her expense and blocked me on Twitter. But 99% of the men and women I’ve had the chance to meet were just normal folks like you and I and the experiences were generally favorable.

What do you think about WWE returning to live RAW and Smackdown shows from the Performance Center instead of all pre-taped events?

I have mixed feelings about this, but from what I understand, the contracts that WWE has with Fox and USA require live programming for RAW and Smackdown and if WWE can’t deliver, the television contracts could be declared void. So long as WWE is careful and uses caution, I have no problem with them doing the live shows.

Michael:
Eric Bischoff says that AEW hasn’t even come close to the success of WCW yet. Is he right?

Look at the numbers. AEW is doing well, but they haven’t had WCW or even Impact Wrestling / TNA numbers as of yet. A spike here and there, but not on a consistent basis. Five or ten years from now, it might be a different story, but for now, Bischoff is absolutely correct.

Does Kamala the Ugandan Giant belong in the WWE Hall of Fame?

Yes, but it probably won’t happen while he’s still living. That infamous lawsuit against WWE a couple of years ago will be remembered and so will Kamala’s comments in different shoot interviews from over the past few years. Kamala has burned some bridges and while he may go in at some point as a “Legacy Inductee”, he’ll never have that moment as part of the main show.

Garry:
Hulk Hogan in his prime versus “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Who wins?

Hogan. In his prime, he had the stroke and his ego would never allow him to lose. Austin would get some stuff in, but Hogan would play the games and use his stroke to crush Austin and protect his spot at the top of the card.

If Shockmaster & Titus O’Neill were to form a tag team, what would they be called?

Slip, Slide and Stumble: The Stumbling Fools!

Mihai:
Thoughts on Broken Matt Hardy. Is he good, okay or bad?

I like Matt and have always been a fan of his dating back to the Omega days. I’m a little hesitant of the “Broken” character, but it’s different, it’s original and Matt makes it work. So I’ll go with good or dare I even say it, “Wonderful!”.

Should Jim Cornette come out of retirement to manage the Revival?

I would love to see it and it would be big news and big money for all involved, but Corny is probably better off doing his podcast and being wrestling’s unofficial historian than getting back into managing unless it’s just a one-shot deal. And The Revival is good enough that they don’t really need a manager. But if AEW or whoever they end up signing with insist on one, how about Sweet Stan Lane? There’s that Cornette / Midnight Express connection and Lane has a good look, is a good talker and if he was even interested, could make one hell of a manager. Just a suggestion.

Joe:
Who is someone you’d like to see Kenny Omega wrestle?

I’m not a big Omega fan, but it’d be interesting to see him up against CM Punk. Or Jeff Hardy. Or Bryan Danielson, aka Daniel Bryan. Those are the first three names that come to mind.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Any comments, thoughts or questions you’d like answered, please feel free and drop me a line. I’m on Twitter at @Doug28352 so come check me out there as well. Until the next time, keep those questions coming and stay safe. Take care and I’ll see you on the flip side.

Ubuntu!