Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Thunderbolt Patterson, Happy Corbin, Dark Side Of The Ring & More
October 8, 2021
DougMaynard.com

Lots of catching up to do today and it all begins right now. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Let’s do this.

Thoughts on Thunderbolt Patterson. Does he belong in the WWE Hall of Fame?

Thunderbolt Patterson is an enigma in the world of sports entertainment in that he was not a good in-ring performer, his promos were out there and hard to understand, but the man had charisma and put butts in the seats, especially in the Georgia and Mid-Atlantic territories. He was also well known for loving to play the race card and threaten drama and bad press if he didn’t get his way, kind of an early version of the fake Rev. Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson. He was probably their role model and wrestling hero. But all that to the side, the man had fans and made an impact in the territories. He drew money. Does that make him Hall of Fame worthy though? As a Legacy Inductee, I would actually say yes. He had fans, drew money, had some great programs with Ole Anderson, and made a strong impact during his time in the business. Was all of it good? Nope, but it was definitely real and one can’t talk about the seventies and pro wrestling in Georgia without mentioning Thunderbolt’s name. He was a unique and memorable character and for that alone, I would say give him a spot.

Name Your Top 5 Wrestling Rivalries Of All Time.

Right off the top of my head, I would go with Stone Cold versus Vince, Flair versus Dusty, Zbyszko versus Bruno, Jimmy Valiant versus Paul Jones, and Hogan versus Andre.

Thoughts on the Happy Corbin character?

It’s an interesting play on the Baron Corbin character and I’m not sure if I like it or hate it, but it certainly keeps evolving and Corbin seems to be having a good time playing this role. It’s a bit out there and too cartoonish for my tastes, but it’s also a great example of what makes pro wrestling special and unique. In the long run, is it a good thing for Corbin? He needed to reinvent himself and make some changes and well, he’s done that and added some life and incentive to what had become a stale presence. I’m interested in seeing where this goes.

References to dead people in promos: yay or nay?

It’s a mixed bag for me because I can see why people get upset and if it’s absolutely tasteless in presentation and purpose, then just why do it? But for a heel like MJF to use it to fire up Pillman Jr., it’s absolutely in character and if all parties are agreeable and there’s a positive payoff in the end, I can see it being allowed. It’s the elephant in the room and sometimes it just can’t be ignored so make it part of the picture and story. It’s wrestling and sometimes pushing the envelope and crossing the line in necessary, even if it does involve invoking the names of those who have passed on. I guess it depends on the person and the circumstances.

Who else should they talk about for Season 4 of Dark Side of the Ring?

The topics that immediately come to mind for me are “The Love Machine” Art Barr, Gino Hernandez, The Sid-Arn Anderson stabbing incident, The rise and fall of Tammy Sytch, Billy Jack Haynes, Black Saturday, and the Messiah and XPW/CZW, etc.

Have you ever felt that both the world titles in WWE should be unified so as to present one dominant champion?

It’s a nice idea, but WWE is so large right now, that having two champions makes much more sense than just one. Maybe one day, but I think that two champions work better for what is the modern-day WWE.

Which historical figures would you like to see? E.g. Cleopatra vs Victoria.

This is a weird question even by my standards, but what the hell. A few matches of a historical perspective would be Trump versus Biden in a “Behind The Woodshed Street Fight”, Mixed Tag Match with Barack & Oprah versus Trump & Candace Owens. In their prime, how about Rev. Al versus Rush Limbaugh. And in a Triple Threat Words Matter Match”, Socrates versus Kurt Cobain versus Boy Dylan. And to prove who really is simply the best, Tina Turner versus Beyonce. I could do this all day, but I think that’s enough for now.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Stay safe, stay good, and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!