Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Jon Moxley, Matt Hardy, Brody King & More
July 15, 2023
DougMaynard.com

My family gives me a headache. Let’s talk about the King of Sports. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Let’s do this.

Two of the items on AEW’s new “Banned List” are “bleeding in the crowd” and “intentional bleeding (of any sort, not just blading)”. How upset do you think Jon Moxley is today?

I’m sure that Moxley isn’t a happy camper right now. AEW has just taken away his biggest crutch to being a top name and now, he’ll have to give up the shock treatment of pouring blood and start wrestling and cutting good promos to get over with the AEW fans instead. I wonder how that’ll work out for him. I guess that when his contract expires, he’ll become an Indy darling and work in Japan instead of staying with AEW. The blood was all that he has left to seem important and stand out from the crowd and with that gone, oh well…

According to Fightful, Warner Brothers Discovery would like AEW to expand its PPV schedule to at least one PPV a month. Thoughts?

Three shows a week, plus a PPV every month. I honestly don’t think that Tony is that creative or capable of pulling that off without a lot of extra help being brought in to handle the creative load. It’ll be interesting to see if it happens, but my feeling is that it would expose AEW far too much and be a disaster.

What happened to the Control Your Narrative company that EC3 created?

According to EC3, it’s still alive and well and there are plans for a wrestling school and some events in the future. But EC3 is working for the NWA now and after Braun Strowman and Karrion Kross left to go back to WWE, the entire Control Your Narrative has lost all of its momentum, not that it had much to start with, but EC3 is pretty much all that’s left now. If the CYN movement isn’t officially dead yet, it’s on life support and it’s just a matter of time.

Thoughts on David Otunga?

Otunga was an interesting character and part of the WWE for a long time, but mainly as a commentator and panelist on the round table discussions before each PPV. He is a lawyer, and an actor, and is best known because of his marriage to Jennifer Hudson rather than anything he ever did in the wrestling ring. He was a solid part of The Nexus, but after that, he was just kind of there. I did like Otunga as part of the She-Hulk series on Disney+, but that’s mainly about the only reason.

So some dude said to me that he hated Brock Lesnar, that Brock wasn’t a good fighter and finally he tells me Roman Reigns could whoop him in a real fight… Am I wrong or is he out of his fother mucking mind?

That dude is an idiot. Brock is a legitimate genetic freak of nature who not only has a strong amateur wrestling background but many years of top-level UFC training under his belt as well. He’s the real deal and in a legit, shoot fight, there aren’t too many people Brock wouldn’t be able to beat.

Does Matt Hardy need to retire from active wrestling?

Matt’s body is falling apart and the years of wear and tear have taken their toll. The quality of Matt’s matches is just a shadow of what they were even five years ago. In the ring, Matt shouldn’t be wrestling regularly. He has plenty left to give to the world of pro wrestling, as a trainer, a producer, a creative force, etc., but neither he nor Jeff should wrestle regularly and especially not on national television. They’re just killing their legacy. It’s time to call it a day.

AEW Star Brody King is under fire for a Twitter post with a picture of the Big Bossman with a noose around his neck, saying that “All cops are the Big Bossman”. And now, people are demanding that Tony Khan fires him. Thoughts?

I don’t agree with him, but I don’t believe in the cancel culture that has taken over the world either. It’s a stupid statement and he should delete that tweet if he hasn’t already, but people shouldn’t be fired from their jobs just because they’re stupid. Maybe a warning and a fine with the money donated to a “Back The Blue” group, but not termination for a first offense of being dumb. If it continues and more posts are made, then maybe, but for now, nope.

What would be a good way to build up Austin Theory’s momentum and credibility as the United States Champion?

The best way is to feature Theory regularly on television and have him defend that United States title. If the matches are good and the challenges are strong, the fans will come around, and Theory’s reputation and credibility as the champion will grow and prosper. Look at Gunther and there’s your proof.

Do you think Pat McAfee will return to WWE as a commentator?

As a full-time commentator, I don’t think so. He has far too much going on already and finding the time to work a regular WWE schedule would probably be too much. I can see him popping up for the occasional show or PPV and joining Michael Cole and Corey Graves at that desk though. Honestly, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t do that.

Would you listen to a podcast with Jamie Dundee/JC Ice?

I’d listen to it, but I’d probably be cringing the entire time, waiting to hear him say something dumb or offensive and screw it all up. It wouldn’t last long if it was to happen, but it would be a fascinating thing to hear.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Please like, share, and subscribe. And with that, let’s wrap things up. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!