Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Marc Mero, The Judgement Day, CJ Perry & More
September 27, 2023
DougMaynard.com

Another edition of the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. I am almost caught up. Yay! Let’s do this.

There are rumors that with Smackdown moving to the USA Network in 2024, RAW and NXT will have to find a new home, with Amazon and Disney being among the top prospects. There are also rumors that RAW may move to a different night rather than Monday. Where do you think RAW and NXT will end up and what night should they move to if they leave their long-time Monday night spot?

While moving to a streaming service would be an interesting move for Raw and NXT, I’m hoping that one of two things happens. I’d love to see both shows keep their current homes on the USA Network. They both do solid ratings there and fans know where to look for them. I understand that Monday night is a rough night during the football season, competing against the NFL, but I don’t think switching to another night would improve the ratings. Fans are creatures of habit and we’ve had wrestling as part of our Monday nights for over thirty years. Big changes to something like that won’t go over very well. If USA Network doesn’t want to keep RAW on Monday, then how about RAW on the NBC Network on Monday nights instead? The current show on NBC Monday at 8:00 p.m. is American Ninja Warrior. RAW would be a bigger show and draw more fans than that. For me, the ideal change would be RAW on NBC on Monday, NXT on USA Network on Tuesday, and Smackdown on USA on Friday. And there you go.

Who will be the first to win a World Championship? Gunther or LA Knight?

Technically, Knight has already been a World Champion, wrestling as Eli Drake in Impact Wrestling, he was the Impact Wrestling World Champion in 2015. But we’re talking about WWE and of him and Gunther, I think Knight will be the one to hold either the WWE World or Universal Championship first. Both men will, before all is said and done, have many successful reigns as the Champion in WWE before their careers are over, but I just have a feeling that Knight will begin his legacy before Gunther does.

Of all the wrestlers released by WWE this past week, who were the biggest surprises? And who do you think that Tony Khan will be reaching out to first?

Riddle was a bit of a surprise, but not really, given his ability to stir up trouble and controversy. I didn’t expect to see Shelton Benjamin released, nor did I expect to see Mustafa Ali terminated. Riddick Moss and Emma was a huge surprise as well and I’m personally thinking that WWE dropped the ball and screwed up with that call. As for who Tony Khan will be reaching out to first, I’m sure that, via his brother Ryan, Tony Khan already has Dolph Ziggler on speed dial and is just waiting for the no-compete to expire so he can be brought into the company. I’m sure that Shelton, Moss, Emma, Mansoor, and Mace are all also on the be-sure-to-call list.

Power & Glory (Hercules & Paul Roma) versus Team Angle (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin). Who wins?

Never bet against the World’s Greatest Tag Team. Haas and Benjamin would win. And speaking of this legendary tag team, I remember a few months ago that Charlie Haas was talking about making a return to the ring and even spoke about the possibility of reuniting with Shelton at some point. Now that Shelton has been released by WWE. this would be a great time for those two men to get together and do something. Can you imagine The World’s Greatest Tag Team reuniting and challenging FTR for the AEW Tag Team Titles? It would be epic. It’s just a thought, but I’d love to see it.

Ric Flair recently said that for AEW to grow and get better ratings, Tony Khan should, “continue to own the company, but I would let somebody fresh book it.” Thoughts?

Ric is just jumping on the bandwagon and saying what everyone else has been saying for the past several years. He’s right of course, but when you’re parroting Jim Cornette, Eric Bischoff, Dutch Mantell, Dave Scherer, Kevin Nash, Konnan, Disco Inferno, and pretty much every wrestler/promoter/legit reporter in the wrestling world, even Flair can get one right. I’ve been saying that for three years as well. Tony can play wrestling boss, but hire someone qualified to handle the match-making, stories, and booking.

Who is the first wrestler you think of when someone says, “Old school”?

The Toughest Man on God’s Green Earth, Harley Race.

Does Marc Mero belong in the WWE Hall of Fame?

For his career as Johnny B. Badd, plus his short run in the WWE, I’d say yes. He’s not a first-ballot choice, but his career both in the ring and then later, after wrestling as a motivational speaker, makes him a far better choice than several names who are already part of the Hall of Fame.

With the possibility of Dolph Ziggler joining his brother at AEW, who do you think is the greatest (shoot or kayfabe) sibling tag team of all time?

It’s not even close in my opinion. There are many great “brother” tag teams like the Briscoes, Jack & Jerry Brisco, The Valiant Brothers, The Usos, The Young Bucks, etc., but at the top of any list, is and will always be, Ole & Gene Anderson, aka The Minnesota Wrecking Crew.

So with CJ Perry’s tease of picking up clients last night who are you guys’ picks to be brought in to be managed by her and possibly feud with a jealous Miro?

How about All Ego Ethan Page? Maybe Perry could be used to get Wardlow over and back on track. Heck, I wouldn’t even mind seeing Perry aligned with Jungle Boy Jack Perry, when and if he returns. His Hollywood character would work far better with a beautiful woman by his side, and that partnership could even be used to create a feud with CJ and Anna Jay. There are plenty of wrestlers in AEW who need someone who can speak and advocate for them and CJ Perry is a good option to do just that.

If you can add one member to The Judgment Day, who would it be?

I would say JD McDonagh, but I think he’s already an unofficial member, they just haven’t confirmed it yet. After McDonagh, who would fit in well with Balor, Priest, Dom, and Mami? How about Joaquin Wilde, of the LWO? I’d love to see him get a push of some sort. He was incredible during his run in TNA/Impact Wrestling as Zema Ion and would fit in nicely with the whole Judgement Day as a hot and brash heel. He’s been buried for far too long as part of Legado Del Fantasma. A betrayal of that team to align himself with The Judgement Day would be a strong move to build his character and standing as part of the WWE roster. I’d love to see it happen.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Also 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!