Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Tony Khan, The Bella Twins, Booker T & More
February 25, 2023
DougMaynard.com

Welcome to the show. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A and it all begins right now. Let’s do this.

After seeing Ariel Helwani at WWE Extreme Rules, Tony Khan freaked out with this tweet: “You’re a fraud @arielhelwani. You’re as legitimate of a reporter as @tonyschiavone24.” Thoughts?

I think Tony is acting like a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum. Helwani does not work for AEW or Tony and has a right to be at any show he desires and if he happens to get paid, even better. Plus Tony, while behaving like a three-year-old who needs his nappy changed, also took a shot at Tony Schiavone, his employee and one of the most respected commentators of the past thirty years, and who also incidentally was an announcer and interviewer for the Atlanta Braves and minor league baseball for many years, so he does have a legit journalistic background. Tony just threw a tantrum and looks like an idiot. No big deal. Nothing to see here.

Do you think Kenny Omega would do well in the WWE?

That all depends on what Kenny Omega we get. If Omega wrestles with the attitude and persona he uses when in Japan, and listens to what he’s told, an Omega run in the WWE could be quite good. If Omega brings his EVP attitude from AEW, it will quickly suck as to what WWE can do with him and he’ll be buried rather quickly. Omega is not a bad wrestler when he wants to do well, but it all depends on Omega and which one shows up to work.

Ray “The Crippler” Stevens & Ivan Koloff versus Alpha Academy (Chad Gable & Otis). Who wins?

Ray Stevens and Ivan Koloff were two-time NWA Tag Team Champions and an unorthodox, but effective tag team. Alpha Academy is damn good as well but is used more for comedy than taken seriously. This would be a great contrast of styles and a good match. Stevens & Koloff would win.

Macho Man Randy Savage versus Roman Reigns. Who wins?

As great as Savage is, I think Roman would end up with the victory here. It’d be a fun match to see, but The Tribal Chief would be too much in the big picture of things, even for the Macho Man.

What is the Bella Twins’ beef with WWE? What are they so mad about?

I think they’re just mad that the WWE has gone on without them and they’re not as important as they once thought they were. Vince, for some reason, seemed to be enamored with the two women, but Triple H, since taking over, not quite as much. I guess their feelings are hurt and now they’re lashing out with critique and insults, not that anyone cares what they’re saying. Just jilted lovers trying to seek revenge, nothing more.

Braun the Leprechaun (Buddy Lee Parker) versus Hornswoggle in a Shamrock Street Fight. Who wins?

Who thinks of these matches and why do I like this one, seeing it take place in my head? In reality, Parker was a tough guy, just short, and would probably decimate Swoggle in real life, but this is about a wrestling match and I’m sure that Swoggle could call on his two dads, Vince McMahon and Fit Finley, to even things up a bit. Hornswoggle wins.

Do you rank Booker T as a Top 15 Wresting Performer of All Time?

Of all time, not really. Booker was a good wrestler, a five-time WCW Champion, and all of that, but when you say all time, you’re talking about Bruno, Flair, Brisco, Dusty, Thesz, Brock, Eaton, and so many others. A Top 100 maybe, but Top 15? He doesn’t make the cut for me.

Vince McMahon isn’t available, Who is the greatest Heel of all time?

Let’s go with either The Sheik or Abdullah the Butcher. I’m sure that others were more heelish and better villains, but those two men, who lived to bloody people up and create chaos in the ring, were the first two men to come to mind. And Dom Mysterio. He was a nice guy, but prison changes a man, right?

Selling is a lost art in pro wrestling. The difference over time is night and day. Agree or disagree?

I agree. What used to be finishing moves in the past, now people just jump up like they just got hit by a spitball and it didn’t hurt at all No wearing down of body parts or selling at all is required these days. A person takes a piledriver to the concrete floor and performs a 360 off the top rope two minutes later and then dances around the ring, smiling and laughing. That’s today’s wrestling and selling the moves and their effects, it’s a lost art.

Should Andy Kaufman be in the WWE Hall of Fame?

Absolutely, but not this year. Kaufman and Jerry Lawler did an amazing thing with their story, getting on national television and making headlines all across the world with a wrestling angle. Kaufman in the WWE Hall of Fame is a no-brainer. But the reason I said not this year is because of the recent stroke suffered by Jerry Lawler. Give Lawler a year to recover so that he can be there to induct Kaufman and have that big moment as well. It should happen though and the sooner, the better.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions you may have are welcome and appreciated. And with that, I’m out of here, my friends. Take care and stay well. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!