Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
CM Punk, Jim Cornette, David Benoit & More
July 18, 2023
DougMaynard.com

It’s another fun day of catching up with some great questions from the greatest fans on earth. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A, where anything goes and nothing is off limits. Are you ready to do this? I’m Doug, your host with the most. Let’s go.

What match do you think CM Punk will have at All In and on a side note? Who do you think he will wrestle the week later at All Out?

For All In, I’m thinking a rematch against Samoa Joe is probably the most likely option, while a week later at All In, I’m thinking a rematch against Ricky Starks seems pretty likely.

Do you think The Bucks would go to WWE when they’d have to give up creative control, potentially work more dates, have to do in-ring promos + possibly be presented as a big deal? Who would they work if after the USOs?

If the money is right and if they can’t keep getting their way at AEW, I can see them jumping ship and going to WWE even if it does mean losing all the perks that come along with being an EVP. I don’t see loyalty as a big part of the Bucks and their decision-making process. After the Usos, I can see the Bucks fighting Sami & KO, members of the LWO and The Judgement Day, as well as Pretty Deadly. WWE has a strong tag team division right now so finding teams for the Bucks to wrestle won’t be much of a problem.

Sgt. Slaughter recently claimed that not being invited to The Undertaker’s WWE Hall of Fame induction was like a “slap to the face”. In the same interview, Slaughter also took credit for “creating” Yokozuna. Thoughts?

Ever since he got his feelings hurt for calling out Lacey Evans, a real Marine, for portraying a Marine character, Slaughter has been butt hurt with claims of stolen valor (true) and had his (lack of) credibility thrown back in his face many times. And now, he’s crying about not being invited to the WWE Hall of Fame and claiming that he “created” Yokozuna? What the hell? Slaughter had a great career in pro wrestling, but he just needs to quit complaining and just shut up already. True or not, and I have my doubts, especially about the Yokozuna claim, no one cares. Slaughter is getting close to falling into Ric Flair’s territory about talking just to be talking and desperate for attention. He needs to just give it up already. And that’s an order, Maggot!

So with how the Punk/Starks match ended, how do you think this goes? Do we see the return of heel Starks, or start the decline of Punk as he gets angrier and angrier at his losses and how they happen?

How about a little bit of both? Starks realizes that bending the rules as needed isn’t a bad thing and does it more often when it suits the situation, not being a total heel, but a tweener. And Punk? He gets annoyed and frustrated at losing and being the nice guy and gets more aggressive in dealing with situations and people. He’s not a full heel, but more heel-like as the frustration takes control. Works for me.

CM Punk is not available. Who is the most controversial figure in professional wrestling?

Jim Cornette is the obvious answer here, although Vince McMahon, The Elite, Dave Meltzer, Tony Khan, and Sgt Slaughter all get honorable mentions as well and could be included in the discussion.

Some are claiming that Jim Cornette “hate-watches” AEW just to feed the toxicity and negativity of his cult-like followers. Do you agree or disagree?

Cornette discusses both the bad/stupid stuff in AEW, and puts over the good stuff too, as he also does with WWE. He says when he thinks it’s bad and he also says when something is good, so this argument is totally off base and wrong. He’s an equal-opportunity offender with a wealth of knowledge, experience, and opinions to share, nothing more.

Ric Flair or Triple H?

If we’re talking about in the ring with Flair in his prime or Triple H in his prime, I’ll go with Ric. If we’re talking about legacy and importance to the wrestling industry, I’ll go with Hunter. Triple H continues to build his legacy every day, and Ric? Ric has almost destroyed his legacy and credibility and I cringe now every time I see his name show up in a newsfeed or discussion.

FTR isn’t available, who is the best pro wrestling tag team of the modern era?

Another easy one. It’s Jimmy & Jey Uso.

Kurt Angle or Kane?

Kurt is a better technician and has that legacy behind him. After all, he won a gold medal in the Olympics with a broken freakin’ neck! But in terms of being a character, being more interesting and enjoyable to watch, and professional wrestling in general, I’ve got to go with Kane.

David Benoit was spotted at ringside and backstage at the AEW Collision tapings. Do you think Benoit will end up wrestling for AEW?

Honestly, I don’t know. I know that David has trained to be a wrestler, having spent time with his godfather, Chris Jericho, as well as Lance Storm, and that being a wrestler is supposedly his dream, but the memories of what his father did still loom large in the minds of wrestling fans, so it’d be a hard sell. It’s wrong to blame the son for the sins of the father, but he looks so much like his father, it’s a large reminder and would be hard for some to deal with. Truthfully though, I’d like to see David get a shot at redeeming himself and his family’s name and for that, AEW would be a great place to do so. Under the wings of Jericho, Punk, and other wrestlers, it’d give David a chance to establish himself and build his own legacy, hopefully making the fans forget the past and start saying, “Chris Who? Damn, this David Benoit dude is good!”. One can only hope, but we’ll have to see how it all plays out. I wish him the best though and hope he’s able to finally live out his dreams.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Be sure to share, like, and subscribe. And with that, let’s wrap things up. Take care and be well, my friends. Stay good, watch out for foreign objects or fans attacking from behind. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!