Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Over The Edge, The New Day, Ruby Soho, Tony Khan & More
May 31, 2022
DougMaynard.com

Yes, I’ve been slack. I know. My apologies, but there’s a lot going on and to be honest, I don’t feel too good. But maybe a few minutes of talking about the King of Sports will help? It can’t hurt and it’s better to do this than argue with people on Twitter about how coked up Tony Khan allegedly was at that media event Sunday night. If you haven’t seen the video yet, where Khan goes on his little rant, check it out. You’ll be glad you did. The expressions on CM Punk’s face say it all. I’ll post the video at the bottom of the column. And now, let’s do the Ultimate WrestlingQ&A. It’s a long one. You’re welcome.

Does Jim Cornette belong in the WWE Hall of Fame?

A no-brainer to be sure. Does Corny, the long time manager of the Midnight Express, who enjoyed great success in Mid-South, Crockett, World Class, Smokey Mountain Wrestling, OVW, and the WWE, who booked for Smokey Mountain, WCW, OVW, and the WWE, who has one of the best podcasts currently available, and who puts fear in the heart of Vince Russo every single day deserve to be in the WWE Hall of Fame? You betcha!

How about HarveyWhippleman?

The former Downtown Bruno had great success as a manager in Memphis and the USWA, as well as a long backstage presence with the WWE, is one of those guys who probably aren’t first-ballot but deserve a second look. And I would give him a spot. He deserves the honor.

Who was the best bleeder of all time?

So many wrestlers like to shed blood. I think of Ric Flair, Abdullah the Butcher, Dusty Rhodes, Carlos Colon, and Blackjack Mulligan as among the guys that if they wrestled, they started to bleed. CM Punk and Jon Moxley like to do it now in current times. But the best of all time? I’ll go with Wildfire Tommy Rich. I think Rich was busted open every night from the mid-80s to probably last week. If you see Tommy wrestle, you see blood. It’s just that simple, so he’s my pick.

What’s The biggest lie you were told as a wrestling fan growing up and found out later that it wasn’t true?

I keep hearing that it’s all fake and phony and the guys and girls, back in the day, really didn’t hate each other. It’s still real to me, brother. I don’t care what anyone says.

The Briscoes (Mark & Jay) versus The Brisco Brothers (Jack & Jerry). Who wins?

This would be a tag team match off the charts to be sure. In a shoot, I have no doubt that Jack & Jerry would dominate, but in the crazy world that is professional wrestling today, the smart money would be, in my opinion anyhow, that Mark and Jay would find a way and come out on top.

You are booked in WWE. You have to do one of three things to keep your contract. They are: Be a part of The Great Khali kiss cam where the Great Khali kisses you, Get a stink face from Rikishi, Or have to kiss Vince McMahon’s ass. Which one are you doing?

Most people would be disgusted by any of these actions, but I’m not most people. Khali does nothing for me, but I’ve kissed worse. A stink face? I’ve done worse. And kissing a billionaire’s ass could have some major fringe benefits as a result so it’s not as bad as it seems. I’ll go with the ass-kissing. Pay me Vince and drop those drawers.

Should WWE air Over The Edge 99 on the WWE Network?

Nope, WWE should keep that one in the vault and locked up as they have been for the past 23 years. Out of respect for Owen, it should never be aired for public viewing again.

Will Sasha Banks eventually end up in AEW? How about Naomi?

Naomi will, I think, eventually work out things with WWE, eat some crow, and then, due to her family contacts, go back to business as usual. I would not be surprised to see Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado eventually show up in AEW at some point. She won’t be able to be Sasha Banks since WWE owns the name. She started off as Mercedes KV, so I’d assume that would be the name she’d use. But by the time it all happens, the whole AEW thing will be a bust. Look at Ruby Soho. Just wash, rinse, repeat, and that will be Sasha, I mean Mercedes KV as well. She’ll show up, make a few headlines, and then vanish, buried in the mob. Watch and see.

Fatal Four-Way Match: Stan Stasiak, Stan Lane, and Stan Hansen versus Paul Jones, Paul Orndorff & Paul Ellering versus Sami Zayn, Sammy Guevera, and Sammy Steamboat versus Jesse Ventura, Jesse Barr, and Jesse James (Road Dogg). Who wins?

Stan versus Paul versus Sammy versus Jesse X 3. A wide variety of characters and just thinking about the announcers trying to keep all the names straight gives me a headache. As for who wins, I’ll go with the team of Stan, Stan, and Stan. Eminem already warned us how dangerous people with that name can be. So Stasiak, Lane, and Hansen take the win here.

Are wrestling tournaments just bad for TV ratings?

I honestly used to enjoy seeing tournaments for the different matches and variety they would allow, but I think for the more modern wrestling fans, they’re outdated and kind of boring. And do they kill ratings? Not if done correctly and booked properly with a factor of unpredictability, but unfortunately, most are not done that way anymore and it’s too easy to figure out from the start. I like them, but I don’t think most fans feel the same way.

If Big E can’t come back for quite some time, who would you like to see become part of The New Day while he is away?

S[eaking of Big E, I saw something yesterday that he’s finally been able to remove the neck brace and color so good for him. Hopefully, he’s one step closer to coming back to wrestling. As for who should take his spot with the New Day next to Kofi and Xavier while he’s away, Carmelo Hayes, currently wrestling in NXT, would be good. Just based on his friendship with Xavier alone, maybe Tyler Breeze could be brought back and added to the mix. Joaquin Wilde, the former Zema Ion from TNA, would be good too.

If you could be front row for any match in wrestling history, what match would you pick?

For me personally, it would have been the Harley Race/Ric Flair Cage Match from Starcade 83. That whole show, as wild as it was, was a big event for a sixteen-year-old kid and hardcore wrestling fan here in North Carolina. I wish I could have seen it happen live and in person. That would have been awesome!

Do you think there is such a thing as too many wrestling podcasts?

Yes. I’m glad that everyone is having a chance to share their stories, make some money, and still try to be relevant, but for someone like me, it’s hard to keep up, and more seems to be added every week. Cornette is my only must-listen and then I’ll listen to clips from Arn, Schiavone, Disco & Konnan, Bischoff, etc, each week as I find the time. I’m glad we have all of these alternatives to choose from, but it makes it hard on a fan.

After her feud with Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. at Double or Nothing, is it time to turn Ruby Soho heel as a way to revitalize her character?

Ruby lost her match to Baker at Double or Nothing so I’m expecting to see a heel turn at any time. And yes, it would be a good way to jump-start her character and get things moving in the right direction again.

And now, here’s the video I spoke of in the intro. Tony Khan Gone Wild. Enjoy!

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions you may have are welcome and appreciated. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing this stuff so get the questions in while you can.
And with that, I’m out of here. Take care and be safe. Watch out for the foreign objects. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!