Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Teddy Hart, CM Punk, Cody & More
August 19, 2022
DougMaynard.com

Are you ready to talk some ‘rasslin? It’s the world’s greatest form of entertainment that we all know and love & stuff is going on. We’ve got questions and I’ve got the answers. Let’s do this.

What was the fabrication that you were most disappointed to find out later in life wasn’t true? A couple of mines would be Andre not being undefeated for 15 years straight and Kamala not really being from the jungles of Uganda.

One of my biggest shocks was Ivan Koloff not being actually Russian. I watched him for years, both on TV and at live events, and he was the Russian Bear, the hated heel. Then I met him, several times, and it wasn’t the evil foreign invader, but “Uncle Ivan”, the man who presided over my friend’s wedding. It just blew my mind. Also learning that Abdullah the Butcher, a very nice guy & gentleman every time that I’ve met him, was not a bloodthirsty, insane maniac was kind of a relief, but also disappointing too. I was so scared of him as a young child, and then met him and realized, that this dude is really cool.

Who do you think the best Manager was back in the day?

So many great managers were a big part of the wrestling product back in the day. Florida had James J. Dillon and Sir Oliver Humperdink. In the Carolinas, there was Paul Jones or Gene Anderson. Texas had General Skandor Akbar and Gary Hart. Bobby Heenan dominated the AWA, and Jim Cornette was making history in the Mid-South and later, the NWA. And the WWF was controlled by the Three Wise Men of Wrestling, Captain Lou Albano, Freddie Blassie, The Grand Wizard, and rival Arnold Skoaland. And lest we forget Jimmy Hart, Slick, Johnny Valiant, Madusa, Sherri Martel, Buddy Rogers, Paul Ellering, The Great Mephisto, Missy Hyatt, Woman, and Paul E. Dangerously. And I’ve forgotten more than I’ve listed here. So who was the best of the best? You really can’t go wrong with any of these legendary figures who were all great in their own ways, but for me personally, I’d have to go with Jim Cornette. He basically stuck with one tag team for his entire career and they made history again and again.

Heel and face turn happens all the time nowadays, but there was a time when they weren’t as common. What is your top ten heel/face turns?

Top ten? Let’s see here. Windham turns on Lex and joins the Horsemen. That’s one. Ole Anderson turning on Dusty in the cage is two. The Horsemen turning on Ole because of his “snot-nosed kid” is three. Andre the Giant ripping the cross off Hogan’s neck is #4. Zbyszko turning on Bruno is #5. Steamboat turning on Paul Jones at the end of a two-ring Battle Royal to claim the prize for himself is #6. And yes, I know that most people say Jones turned on Steamboat, but Paul said Steamboat turned on him and that was his story forever so I believe him lol. Bob Orton & Dick Slater turning on Ric Flair to collect a bounty from Harley Race, leading up to Starcade 83 is #7. Flair turning on Sting to join Benoit & Pillman and recreate the Horsemen is #8. Mongo McMichael accepting a briefcase of money to turn on Kevin Greene and join the Horsemen would be #9. And finally, how about Nikita Koloff joining up with Dusty after Magnum TA was injured in the car accident, as a sign of respect for Magnum thus turning on Uncle Ivan & his “Russian heritage”.

Why couldn’t Teddy Hart be able to make in the big leagues?

One main reason and that’s Teddy Hart himself. He has all the skills in the world and is a fantastic in-ring talent and good on the mic, but he constantly does stupid things, getting in legal trouble, acting unprofessional, and just essentially cutting his own throat every time he’s ready to break through to the next level. It’s as if he intentionally sabotages his own career. By all rights, Teddy should be a top guy in AEW or WWE right now, but instead, he’s on probation, essentially blackballed from the major companies, and no one wants to use or touch him. He let his personal demons run wild for too long and these are the consequences. It’s sad. It really is.

Favorite female wrestler based on athleticism and talent in the ring?

Based on strictly in-ring ability, I’d have to go with Charlotte, Natalya, or Asuka.

Barry Windham versus The Sandman. Who wins?

Barry Windham and it’s not even close in my opinion.

With all the reports about AEW talent being unhappy, the company having no structure, and the booking being horrible, it’s really starting to make me wonder, was Cody the glue holding things together?

It sure seems that way at times, doesn’t it? Tony Khan has done far better than expected for a man with no prior wrestling experience as a booker/promoter, but things seem to be falling apart and doing so quickly. Maybe it was Cody that held things together or maybe it was just dumb luck, but whatever the reason, it’s not working very well anymore and changes need to be made. I would suggest Khan getting someone to handle talent relations, maybe Jim Ross if he’s willing, or even a William Regal or Tommy Dreamer if he’s available. They have the knowledge and experience necessary and could help smooth a lot of communication problems over with the talent. And help with the booking and structure of the shows would be necessary as well. Cornette or Bischoff would be great because, no matter what you think of their creative aspects, they know how to structure a show properly and set matches up to make sense and be logical, something AEW seems to have a major problem with at times. And an experienced booker to oversee everything and book the stories, matches, etc., is needed. Khan could still contribute and give direction, but he needs someone to run interference and tell him when to slow down when to speed up, and what will and will not work. Khan does okay, but he’s like Vince Russo in that he tries to do too much and it gets confusing and doesn’t make sense. Russo was good when he had Vince McMahon editing him. Khan needs a Vince McMahon with a strong mind for wrestling that can do that. I think Cody did, to a point at first, but now he’s gone and the other EVPs don’t have the mindset or skills necessary. Perhaps Regal again, or maybe Dustin Rhodes? Someone needs to step up and take control though.

Do you think Dynamite would benefit from a 3-hour show?

As it currently is, two hours is rough enough to get through. Three hours is too much for one wrestling show on TV. So my answer would be no.

During his promo on Dynamite, CM Punk allegedly went off script by calling out Hangman Page. There are rumors that Punk is not happy with AEW. Thoughts?

Punk pretty much has control over his own programs so they tend to be logical and make sense. A lot of the other stuff on AEW doesn’t and that has to be frustrating for someone like Punk. It lowers the value of what he’s doing when mixed in with a bad product and currently, he is. So not being happy? I can definitely understand it. But aside from stepping in and taking over the booking, what can Punk do? Not much. As for the deal with Page, what I understand is that Page was there, but didn’t know anything about Punk’s comments, nor did anyone else. Punk went into business for himself and it was absolutely 100% unprofessional. Could you imagine anyone doing this at WWE? They would be chewed out and probably fired or suspended immediately and rightfully so. Punk is taking advantage of Tony Khan’s lack of control over his own company and was, in my opinion, very out of line. No matter the reason, it was wrong and unprofessional and I hope Khan called him out on that. If Punk loses the AEW title next week and is removed from the upcoming card in Chicago, All Out, we’ll know why. And Punk will have no one to blame but himself.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions you have are welcome and appreciated. And with that, it’s time to head out and do some stuff. The real world awaits. Until the next time, take care and be good. Watch out for foreign objects. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!