Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Michelle McCool, Booker T, Finn Balor & More
August 24, 2023
DougMaynard.com

And here we are again. I’m Doug, your ring announcer and commentator for the night, and this is the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Are you ready? Let’s do this.

Thoughts on Michelle McCool?

A decent wrestler from the tail end of the attitude era who gets far more credit than I think she’s due. Michelle was good in the ring, and a fair talker, but she had the charisma of a corn dog. She was tall and could kick, but can anyone name an outstanding or memorable Michelle McCool moment or match? I’m sure she’s a nice person and as I said, she was decent in the ring, but I think the majority of her push and eventual Hall of Fame induction came from who she was dating and eventually married more than anything else.

What is the farthest you have traveled to see a wrestling show/event?

Several hundred miles and usually not by my choice. I was once the roommate of Independent Wrestling Superstar Michael Youngblood and would regularly go to shows where Michael was booked to wrestle. He’d convince me to go because “It’s just down the road!”, or “It’s only a few miles away!”. It was usually far more than that and just down the road turned into two and three hours of driving and riding. I saw some great shows and met plenty of big names as a result, but those trips were pretty rough sometimes, especially after working all day and having to be up the next day at 5:00 in the morning. I was a store manager.

Ole Anderson versus Don Muraco. Who wins?

The Rock versus The Rock. This match would be incredible to see and witness and the stiff shots would be painful to view. If it was a tag match, with Ole and brother Gene against Muraco and a partner of his choice, I’d give The Andersons the win, but in a singles match, I’d have to go with Muraco for the victory.

Will Austin Theory get his title back? If not, what do you think is next for him?

Theory may get the belt back somewhere down the road, but I don’t think it will be anytime soon. As for what is next, I’d like to see him form a faction with his cousins, Angel Garza and Humberto, and maybe do a feud against the LWO.

WHERE ARE BRAUN STROWMAN AND OMOS?

Braun is out with an injury, while Omos is just waiting for someone in Creative to come up with an idea for his character.

If it was possible. What are your thoughts on Bret and Owen Hart vs. The Hardy Boys?

With all four men in their primes, this would be an outstanding match that could headline any show or arena in the world. It’d be an interesting clash of styles as The Harts were more ground-based wrestlers while the Hardy Boys tended to go to the high spots more often. This is truly a dream match for fans of tag team wrestling. I think Bret and Owen would find a way and get the win.

Biggest wrestling betrayal where a person turned on their partner and friend?

How about when Ricky Steamboat turned on partner Paul Jones at the end of a two-ring battle royal because of his jealousy over Paul being “Number One”? Okay, maybe not. I’ll go with the Hogan heel turn and the formation of the NWO. It was long overdue and needed to be done, but it was played so well and was a truly shocking moment in pro wrestling history.

I saw Booker T show up on Sammy Guevera’s VLOG. Was Sammy auditioning for a job with WWE when his AEW contract expires?

I saw the VLOG and all it was was that Booker and Sammy were at tables next to each other at a signing. Sammy was one of the first students at Booker’s wrestling school and was trained by Booker. Just two old friends saying hello. Nothing more.

Wahoo McDaniel versus Gunther. Who wins?

Talk about Chop Suey City, this match would certainly qualify. Two premiere athletes trying to chop the other down. Gunther would win, but he would have to fight every inch to get that victory.

Am I seeing things, or is Finn Balor slowly being phased out as leader of The Judgement Day and Rhea Ripley slowly being elevated to be the leader and face of Judgement Day?

It looks that way, but don’t always believe what you see. I like the idea of Rhea as the leader of the Judgement Day, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Balor as the de facto leader of the faction. I think we have a long way to do before any major changes are made in the Judgement Day roster or the roles of each character.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Any thoughts, comments, or questions are welcome and appreciated. Be sure to 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!