Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Tully Blanchard, Brian Cage, The New Breed & More
February 11, 2022
DougMaynard.com

Greetings Infidels. How the hell are you? Are you ready to rumble? Let’s talk about the world’s oldest sport, pro wrestling. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Let’s do this.

Do you think that Zack Ryder will eventually return to the WWE and win a World Championship?

As in the same way that Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal both did? I could see that happening as Matt Cardona has really been working hard since leaving WWE and has totally reinvented himself. Cardona has evolved so much and that would make a great WWE story with the prodigal son returning. Yeah, it’ll happen within the next couple of years.

Could Tully Blanchard pull off a world title run?

Could Tully have done it? Absolutely. But if Tully had won the title back in his NWA days, I don’t think the reign would have been a long one. Tully was a great heel who could have good matches against anyone, but he was so good at being a heel, I think the fans would have actually rebelled against the NWA if Tully was the one wearing the ten pounds of gold. Tully is better in the chase than actually winning in the end.

In 5 years’ time, who’s potential will have developed the most to become a true main event star?

MJF, Sammy Guevera, and Wardlow for the AEW roster, while in WWE, I think Cesaro (if WWE ever smartens up), Austin Theory, and Angel Garza are the guys to keep an eye on.

Keith Lee and Jay White were the AEW surprises on Dynamite this week. Thoughts?

Both debuts were well done, although White’s debut may have had a few people scratching their heads if they’re not familiar with New Japan and his history with the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. As for Lee, he looked like a monster and was booked as a bad-ass monster and AEW got it just right. I wasn’t a big fan of Lee in WWE, but now I’m wanting to see him fight Lance Archer, Shawn Sparks, or Wardlow. I wasn’t surprised to see him as he was my guess as to who the big debut would be. He made a great first impression and now I want to see more.

Why is AEW burying Brian Cage?

Part of the reason that Mr. Cage has been ignored by AEW management is that he’s lost in the shuffle. AEW has so many wrestlers and talents under contract, a lot of well-deserving and talented performers are being ignored. And also, his lady-friend got on Twitter and caused some heat by complaining in public about how AEW was not using Cage correctly. That had to rub a few feathers in AEW management the wrong way, and thus, he’s even more buried as a result. I hate it because Cage is a damn good performer and as he proved in Impact Wrestling, he can draw fans and make money if booked correctly. AEW just doesn’t seem to get it.

Mr. Wrestling II versus The Iron Sheik? Who wins?

Mr. Wrestling II was a tough old guy and had arguably the best knee-lift in the business, but Iron Sheik was a literal wrestling machine in his day. My money would be on The Iron Sheik. He might not humble II, but he would take home the victory at the end of the night.

What classic type of match or stipulations would you like to see come back? Texas death, barbed wire, loser leaves town, hair, other?

Some of my old favorites that could still work in today’s wrestling environment would be street fights, the strap matches, and of course, the bra & panties match for the ladies. Okay, I’m kidding about that last one, but I did like the old Tuxedo Matches between the non-wrestlers. Just bring back the leather straps and I’ll be happy.

Do you remember a team called the New Breed? Thoughts on this very odd team?

Sean Royal and Chris Champion. I remember them very well. A tag team in NWA/WCW way back in 1986, who claimed to be from the year 2002. They were allegedly sent back in time to take out Jimmy Valiant and Lazer-Tron. They also challenged The Rock & Roll Express, but just as they were catching on with the NWA fans, they were in a car accident and both men were out for a while. Royal came back for a few matches, working in New Japan and NWA Wildside, but then ended up retiring and leaving the business. Champion took a lot longer to recover before returning and after a brief comeback, vanished, only to show back up later as Yoshi Kwan in WCW, and then later as Sinn. Champion passed away in 2018 after suffering a major stroke. They were a unique and memorable team, especially when you factor in just how short a time they were together.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Any thoughts, comments, or questions you’d like to ask, feel free and drop me a line. Until the next time, take care of yourself, be safe, and watch out for any foreign objects. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!