Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Hook, Ric Flair, JYD & More
July 29, 2022
DougMaynard.com

Are you ready? I said, ARE YOU READY? Damn, this works so much better in person and in front of an audience. Oh well, it’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Let’s do this.

Is Brock versus Roman the modern-day equivalent of Flair versus Dusty or HBK versus Bret?

I don’t think it can really compare to either of those rivalries, but Brock and Roman, every time they get together and compete, it’s going to be a good match and magic will be made. Two damn good wrestlers who bring out the best in each other. I know some people are getting tired of these two men fighting, but I have enjoyed each and every match and look forward to many more in the years to come.

Rick Steamboat, Jay Youngblood & Ric Flair versus The Rock & Roll Express & Terry Funk. Who wins?

What a match this would be. One of the greatest teams of the early ’80s against the top tag team of the late ’80s and beyond, with two of the most charismatic and unique performers of all time as their partners. This would be epic. Just imagine Flair and Funk beating the crap out of each other while Steamer & Youngblood are trading shots with the Rock & Rollers. And who wins? A tough call, but I’ll go with Flair, Steamboat, and Youngblood. No real reason, but just because.

You are the new head of talent relations in WWE. You can bring back only one previously released talent, but you must release one current full-time talent. Who are you cutting and who are you re-hiring?

Bray Wyatt is coming back and Mustafa Ali gets the boot. He wanted to be released anyhow, so it’s a win-win.

Hook is the new FTW Champion. Hobbs turned on Ricky Starks. Thoughts?

It’s a good move that elevates every person involved. It gives Hook a title, made famous by his father, to defend and have a reason to be on TV more often and wrestle against a wider variety of opponents. It gave Starks a chance to cut a promo, get himself over, and show a bit of the personality we’ve only rarely had a chance to see before. And Hobbs, who has really grown as a performer and looks like a million bucks, now did the heel turn and has a major feud to get some TV time and help build his character. I’m actually interested now in seeing what the future holds for each of these men so if that’s what AEW meant to do, a job well done.

Are you excited for Ric Flair’s Last Match this upcoming Sunday?

I wasn’t at first and I’m still not happy about the risks that Flair is taking with this match, but to be honest, the build has been amazing and the undercard is stacked with a ton of great performers and matches. So yes, I am very excited.

After Flair’s Last Match, should David Crockett continue promoting wrestling under the Jim Crockett Promotions name?

I can see Jim Crockett Promotionsrunning the occasional charity event and maybe the yearly Starrcast events, but aside from that, I don’t think that AEW and WWE have to worry about the potential competition.

Should JYD have been given a run with the WWF title?

If it was based strictly on popularity, I would say yes, but to be honest, based on in-ring ability and the character in WWF, I would go with no. JYD left Watts with no notice to go to the WWF and when he got there, his work became sloppier and he was a lazy performer. He would hit the spots, but if you watch any matches with JYD during his Mid-South run and then his matches once he got to New York, there’s a world of difference. Mid-South JYD would have been a great WWF Champion. WWF JYD, just going through the motions, not even close.

Vince is gone and HHH is the boss. What lies ahead in WWE for R-Truth?

I think Truth’s days of being the 50-plus time 24/7 Champion might be coming to an end and while Truth may still be hitting the comedy spots every so often, his big safety spot with the company is probably nearing the end. If Truth sticks around with WWE, I think he might be expected to wrestle more and be slightly more serious. I think a revamp of the R-Truth character is coming. He’ll still have a job but I think training, working as an Ambassador, and making appearances will take precedence over working matches.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions you may have are welcome and appreciated. Until the next time, take care and be good, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!