Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Timothy Thatcher, Mike Tenay, Zach Gowen & More
January 28, 2023
DougMaynard.com

It’s 5 AM and why am I up? Must be time for another edition of the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. It’s a long one so be ready. Let’s do this.

Where did you stand on the Monday night wars?

WCW all the way. I was born and raised on Crockett & Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and as it evolved, so did I.

When is PAC going to be World Champion?

Most likely, never.

Fantasy book a CM Punk comeback in 2023.

Punk and FTR come out and interfere in an Elite Match, nearly causing them to lose the Trios Championship, but getting them DQ’ed instead. A beatdown by Punk and FTR causes The Elite to run for the hills and then we get a pipe-bomb promo. Punk and FTR challenge The Elite for the Trios Championship. The Elite accepts and Punk/FTR wins. New champions.

What would you like to see done with Mark Briscoe in either AEW or ROH?

A strong singles push, plenty of television time and an eventual ROH Championship run.

My question is when do you think we’ll see the return of Randy Orton? And when he comes back what will they do with him?

We’ll see him when his back is healed and he’s healthy to return. I’m guessing or at least hoping by SummerSlam 2023. And what will they do with him? Limited, part-time schedule and a feud with Riddle.

Ric Flair has allegedly kissed and made up with Hunter, Becky Lynch, and Seth Rollins. Thoughts?

Good for him. Flair has gotten bad about talking before he thinks and ruffling the feathers of those who should be his allies and friends. It’s good to see he’s realizing that he was wrong and is trying to mend fences. Now let’s just see how long it lasts and how long before he’s talking stupid again.

Timothy Thatcher will be wrestling Bryan Danielson next week on AEW Dynamite. Thoughts?

This should be a fantastic match. Thatcher is so damn good and honestly, I’m surprised that WWE hasn’t tried to get him back and on the main roster. The man is a wrestling machine and now, he’s scheduled to wrestle Bryan Danielson, another phenomenal wrestling machine. I may have to tune in and watch Dynamite this upcoming week. For Thatcher versus Danielson, it will probably be worth sitting through the confusion and bad booking to see that match.

Gail Kim said that she thinks Mike Tenay & Don West should be inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame. Thoughts?

I agree with her. She’s right.

Thoughts on Mike Tenay?

Tenay is a good announcer and an encyclopedia of wrestling knowledge. I’ve never really been a big fan of his, but he is a smart man and adds quite a bit to the wrestling programs where he is announcing. He’s one of the good ones.

Zach Gowen was recently spotted visiting backstage at a WWE event. Do you think that Gowen will be a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble?

I don’t think it will happen, but it would be cool if he was. Can you imagine the Gowen/Brock Lesnar staredown and confrontation?

Who’ll be the next Wrestling star(s) to follow the Hollywood route after Rock, Cena, & Batista?

The most obvious choice in my opinion would be the A-Lister, the star of The Marine Franchise, the most must-see WWE superstar ever, the star of Miz & Mrs., The Miz.

If you were a betting man… Solo vs Roman. Who would your money be on?

I’d have to go with our Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, for this one.

Which is more likely for a second season? Dwayne Johnson’s XFL or Dana White’s Power Slap?

The whole power-slap thing is beyond stupid. The Rock and the XFL have a partnership deal in place with Disney. I think the XFL will last far longer than Dana White’s idiot program.

Do you think possibly that Cody, Owens, and Zane could build a faction to battle against the Bloodline and Sami turns on the Bloodline at the Rumble by helping Kevin and Cody to have Cody win, Zane and Owens win tag teams at Mania while Cody wins the Undisputed World Champion?

Wow! That’s a question. Could all of that happen? Yes. Will it? Nope. I don’t think so.

With the American Badass returning, which is awesome, do you think that means we have seen the last of ‘The Deadman’ gimmick? with all the podcasts, interviews, etc that Mark has done since retiring, is it the only gimmick he can still do that will feel genuine?

The last of The Undertaker as the Dead Man? It sure seems that way and I’m good with that. The American Bad Ass is a more realistic and better gimmick as he gets older.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Take care and be well, my friends. Enjoy the Royal Rumble tonight and I’ll catch you later.

Ubuntu!