Tossing Salt Presents:
Wrestling Fact or Fiction
Classic Stuff
June 6, 2022
DougMaynard.com

Our power went out yesterday morning. I think it was due to a fire at a church, but who really knows for sure. While it was out, I obviously couldn’t get on the computer so instead, I started looking through some old notebooks. And I found the outline for an old Wrestling Fact or Fiction column from my days at Wrestle-Zone.Co.UK. I don’t know for sure if my tag team partner at the time, the baddest man alive, Russell Jackson, and I, ever did this one or not. But guess what? I’m going to do it now. It’s Wrestling Fact or Fiction. It’s time for a flashback to probably 8-9 years ago. And it all starts now. Let’s do this.

The age of the dominant “big man” in pro wrestling is gone forever, at least in our lifetime.

FACT: Look at who the top stars are today? CM Punk. Bryan Danielson. Seth Rollins. The Usos. The Young Bucks. Roman Reigns. While Roman isn’t a small man by any means, he’s not a classic “giant” either. Most wrestlers now are smaller, faster, and more agile than the wrestlers of yesteryear. And guess what? That is most definitely a good thing.

Classic ROH was better than Classic ECW.

FICTION: I didn’t watch much classic ROH, with the exception of a match that stands out in my mind where Jamie Gibson (Jamie Noble) beat CM Punk, Samoa Joe, and I think Bryan Danielson, but I’m not sure on that, I was never really impressed. Classic ECW had more of a car crash quality to it at times, but I did enjoy it on the few occasions I watched. So for me, ECW would be better.

Pro wrestling should be more like a sport and less like a narrative between good and evil.

FICTION: I’m a guy who likes characters and stories and running it just like a legit sport, without the craziness and drama would be boring to me. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Wrestling as a whole is not broken.

The Briscoe Brothers are under-rated.

FACT: I think people have started to catch on to just how good Mark and Jay really are. For a long time, they were ROH’s best-kept secret, but now that AEW and Impact Wrestling has taken notice, they’re just starting to get the credit due.

Regular cage matches are better than Hell In A Cell matches.

FACT: Hell in a Cell was last night and the match with Cody versus Seth was damn good, but that was more due to who was wrestling than the stipulation, that giant cell. I personally prefer the normal cage and regular cage matches. Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer to keep it simple instead of making it a spectacle.

The Mt. Rushmore of TNA/Impact Wrestling is AJ Styles, Abyss, Sting, and Austin Aries.

FICTION: For me, I would go with AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, Sting, and Samoa Joe.

In their prime, Dusty Rhodes was better than Ric Flair.

FICTION: Dusty was damn good and he was truly the American Dream, but Flair was arguably the best all-around talent for his era, able to walk the walk, talk the talk, and have great matches against anyone. Dusty was the Dream, but Flair was, at the time, truly and forever The Man!

Jim Cornette was a great color commentator.

FACT: Do I need to explain why? It’s Jim Cornette. He could call a match, get the guys over, crack five jokes, and make his announce partner either look like a genius or look like an absolute idiot, all without stopping for a breath. Corny went above and beyond in everything he did, be it commentating, managing, booking, or just cutting a promo. And there you go.

Pro wrestlers older than fifty can still be top guys and major stars for a wrestling promotion.

FACT: On a limited basis and used sparingly, yes. Look at Sting in AEW. It’s not something I’d recommend, but it can be done.

Dennis Rodman was actually pretty good in the ring when he wrestled for WCW.

FACT: While Dennis would never be confused for a Rick Steamboat or even a Buff Bagwell for example, he still looked the role and played the parts he was doing very well. He (and Moses Malone) both put in the work, learned their spots, and did far better in the ring than we had any right to expect.

And there you go. Just having a little fun and here is my opinion on a few random wrestling subjects. My thanks for reading. Thoughts, comments, or any questions you may have, are welcome and appreciated. Until the next time, take care and be good, my friends. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!