Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
The British Bulldogs, Buff Bagwell, CM Punk & More
May 24, 2023
DougMaynard.com

After a few days of procrastination, it’s time to get back to work. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Are you ready? Let’s do this.

If you could invent a new match type what would it be?

This is hard because whatever kind of match I come up with, it’s probably already been done, but I’ll try anyhow. Since I have worked most of my life in retail, and since looting stores is a big thing these days, how about a Department Store Street Fight? It’s like the regular street fight, but instead of in the ring, it’s taped at the local Walmart or Target or even a Dollar General. Anything can be used as a weapon and the only way to win is when your opponent can’t meet the ten-count by the referee. Just imagine the carnage.

Now that you’ve gotten used to it, can we admit that GUNTHER is a much better name than WALTER?

I’ll admit I’m getting used to it, but I still like the name WALTER and think it was the better name of the two. It fits the Intercontinental Champion.

What’s your honest opinion on Buff Bagwell?

I think I’m one of the rare few, but I like Buff. He had a great look, charisma, was good with the promos, and was decent in the ring. The only problem with Bagwell that I can see was that he was immature and refused to grow up or act like an adult. But he was a great character and had that mystery “it” that everyone is always looking for. Buff was his own worst enemy outside of the ring, but in the ring or on that mic, he was pretty damn good. He was, dare I say it, Buff and he was the stuff. ‘Nuff said!

Instead of putting JD McDonagh in Judgement Day, they should turn Finn Balor into a face & have him join McDonagh & Pete Dunne in a new face ground called The United Kingdom & have them feud with Imperium. Thoughts?

While that sounds like an interesting idea, why not instead have McDonagh join Judgement Day as planned and feud with Imperium in that way, with Finn, Damian Priest, Dom & Rhea as his partners? Pete Dunne can be added down the road if The Brawling Brutes are inclined to get involved. In other words, nah!

It seems that part of CM Punk’s requirements for coming back to AEW is the inclusion of Ace Steel. Is making sure his best friend/trainer has a job overstepping by Punk or is it okay in your opinion?

In my opinion, it’s quite okay because the only reason that Steele was fired in the first place was that he defended his friend, Punk when Punk was assaulted by three EVPs of the company who charged into Punk’s dressing room looking for a fight. That’s the kind of person that you’d want to be around unless you’re a cowardly EVP who likes to gang up on and assault people in their dressing room. And besides, Omega has several of his friends on the payroll to “assist” him so what’s the difference between Omega & Punk? Punk draws fans and gets ratings while Omega doesn’t so much. If it’s good for Kenny & The Bucks to have their friends around, Punk should be given the same benefits.

Opinions on the British Bulldogs?

While I was not personally a fan, much preferring the NWA and teams like The Midnight Express or The Horsemen, I can respect what Dynamite Kid and The British Bulldog had going on in the WWF. They were a strong team and had some good moves. My late friend and wrestling brother, Harold Schwan, was a big fan of this team and we had many friendly arguments over the years about how good they were and why weren’t they in the WWE Hall of Fame. They were certainly one of the best teams of their era and deserve that honor.

What if Hulk Hogan stopped wrestling after he left WWE in 1993 and became an actor full-time instead of ever wrestling for WCW or anywhere else? How do you think he would’ve done as a full-time actor?

I don’t think Hogan would have done quite as well as you might expect. Hogan’s audience was the wrestling fanbase and once he was removed from that, his movie career would have declined more and more with each year. Hogan can be entertaining, but he’s not The Rock, Dave Bautista, or even The Miz when it comes to Hollywood. It wouldn’t have been long before he came back to wrestling for “one last run”.

You’re talking to Triple H and he wants you to lead a faction in an Invasion Angle for WWE. You can have any 8 wrestlers you want and will “invade” RAW next Monday. Who you got?

Given the great live show that I saw this past weekend with Coastal Atlantic Grappling Entertainment and Atlantic Coast Wrestling, I think my list of candidates for a WWE invasion would be easy to find. New ACW Champion Nathan Cross, former ACW Champion Sammy Love, Angel Angels, former ACW Tag Team Champions The New Breed, and Current ACW Tag Team Champions, The Atlantic Coast Destruction Crew. That’s seven so far and we’d round it out with the new CAGE Champion HangTyme. And if we could hide Eric Gibson and The Fallen Artist Derk Douglas on the bus as we take that trip to New York, even better. And dare I say, the WWE would not know what hit them. This selection of veterans and younger, new talent, would strike like an eagle soaring down from the sky and definitely make an impact the likes of which would never be forgotten. Hey Triple H, call me.

Thoughts on Sir Oliver Humperdink?

One of the best managers of his era and a great character. Oliver was so good at being hated and his feuds with Dusty Rhodes down in Florida and Jimmy Valiant in the Mid-Atlantic regions are stories of legend. I had the chance to see him live on several occasions and he was always working the crowd, working the match, and creating chaos, but always paid for it at the end of the night. The ironic thing was that as hated as he was as a wrestling manager, he was known to be one of the nicest guys in the business and just a cool dude. During the twilight of his career, Humperdink didn’t translate well to the national audience and though he had runs in the WWE, managing Paul Orndorff & Bam Bam Bigelow, and in WCW as Big Daddy Dink, aligned with the Freebirds, it was the territories where he shined and made his biggest impact. Sir Oliver may not always get the credit he deserved, but have no doubts. He was one of the best.

Steve Austin, Arn Anderson & Scott Hall versus CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and Adam Page. Who wins?

Austin, Arn, and Hall would win here and win easily because Punk would nail a GTS on Page for being a little bitch and Roman, annoyed by the antics of his two partners, would walk off from the match and head to the back. Page would, after getting nailed by his partner, eat a spinebuster, a stunner, and the Razor’s Edge before getting pinned for the three counts.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. And with that, let’s wrap it up. Take care and stay well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects, especially if the Mob Boss Phil DeCarlo is around. Chief Jay Eagle too. And I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!