Tossing Salt Presents:
Wrestling Fact or Fiction
HHH versus Vince, Wrestling As Entertainment & More
December 20, 2022
DougMaynard.com

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and Santa has delivered. Well, actually Mr. Jake Chambers of 411mania.com/wrestling has delivered. I went by the site to see what’s going on today in the world of pro wrestling and guess what I found? A new edition of 411 Wrestling Fact or Fiction, as presented by Mr. Chambers. It’s been a while, but he’s back and it was a very good read. Go check it out at 411mania.com.

And since Jake is back, you know I have to take my own crack at it, right? Jake prepared five statements about the world of pro wrestling. Are they right? Are they wrong? What is my take on each of these queries? Let’s find out. Wrestling Fact or Fiction, the Dougie version, starts now.

Statement #1: 2022 HHH era of WWE is better than the 2022 McMahon Era.

FACT: It’s not really a fair statement since the vast majority of what HHH has booked and promoted is playing off stories created by Vince, but I’m going strictly based on my gut feeling when comparing what I was watching on WWE a year ago as to what we’re watching now. A year ago, I had little interest in the product and watched mainly out of habit and to keep up on everything for the site.

Vince started some good things to be sure but was hit/miss on most shows and stories and more often miss than hit. And now, under HHH, it’s still hit/miss, but things seem to be on the positive side far more often than not. I’m interested in the product again and that is all due to the Triple H leadership and influence. HHH is just really getting started so it’s not fair to compare him to HHH for the big picture just yet, but so far, so good. No complaints as of yet.

Statement #2: AEW is better without CM Punk.

FICTION: Punk provided consistency, common sense storytelling, and booking, and made for interesting television. None of this is part of the current AEW product. MJF tries, but even his booking, week for week, is inconsistent and changes. Punk was one of the few, along with MJF, FTR, William Regal, and Bryan Danielson, who makes wrestling fans want to watch and tune in each week. He was consistent in a world of chaos. He’s not there anymore and the show has gone from tolerable to unbearable as a result. And there you go.

Statement #3: NXT “2.0” is better than NXT “Black & Gold”.

FICTION: I rarely watch NXT except for the pay-per-views and big shows, the premium live events they call them. I read the recaps and try to keep up with the stories, but NXT was not really my thing. But that being said, the Takeover Events always delivered and more often than not, outperformed the main roster PPVs that aired that same weekend. How many PPV events of the 2.0 brand can you say that about? The shows are solid and the people working at NXT 2.0 are talented kids who hopefully will all be big names one day, but the “Black & Gold” was definitely the better product.

Statement #4: New Japan Pro-Wrestling was better when “the Elite” wrestled there regularly.

FACT: I have an admission here. I don’t follow New Japan Pro Wrestling and haven’t in years, but with that in mind, that’s the statement that Mr. Chambers offered and I’m still going to respond. From what I’ve seen from comments, both in the past and currently, by others, NJPW was on fire and hot when Omega and The Bucks were part of the company. They were the big names and it worked. They left and the shows are, based on the comments I’ve seen and show recaps, not as good or exciting as they once were. The numbers for TV and live events were better when Kenny was leading the Bullet Club and the Elite were part of the mix for New Japan than they are now. Numbers don’t lie. And there you go.

Statement #5: In 2022, watching professional wrestling is better than any other form of entertainment.

FACT: I don’t watch TV anymore. I don’t read comics much anymore. I rarely go to movies anymore and instead wait for them to start streaming. But I follow WWE, AEW, ROH, NWA, and Impact Wrestling every week and watch whatever I can. I went to a live show two weeks ago and had a fantastic time. I am invested in and enjoy wrestling. The rest of it, the movies, shows, concerts, etc., is not so much. Wrestling entertains me. The new shows and new stars and new music. It sucks! ’nuff said!

And there you go. My thanks for reading and to Mr. Jake Chambers of 411mania.com for providing this content so I could take a crack at it. Any comments, thoughts, or questions, let me know what you think. And with that, I’m out of here. I have an edition of the Christmas Days of Dougie to write to get caught up for the day, plus I need to find some food. I’m getting hungry and it’s nearly dinner time. Take care and be well, my friends. I’ll catch you later, Alligator.

Ubuntu!