Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A:
The Fiend, Tyson Fury, Vampiro & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Roses are red and violets are blue. I write about wrestling and I do it for you. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. I’m Doug and this is how we do it. Let’s roll.

Name a non-wrestler (commentator/ring announcer/manager) that should be in the WWE Hall of Fame.

I’ll do you better and name three. A commentator, ring announcer, and a manager, all of whom haven’t wrestled, but all of whom belong in the WWE Hall of Fame. Tony Schiavone, Lilian Garcia, and Sir Oliver Humperdink.

Should WWE bring back The Fiend, played by Bo Dallas, as a tribute to Bray Wyatt?

As much as I want to see Bo Dallas back in WWE and performing again, playing the character created and made famous by his brother is not the way to do it. If and when Bo comes back, he should be his own man and own self. Tributes are fine and good, but a person can’t base his entire career around paying tribute to someone else. Eventually, the nostalgia and sentiment end and it’s time to move on.

Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Tyson Fury stated “There is still a lot of opportunities there” about a potential WWE return. Interest levels, on a scale of 1-10, in seeing Fury back in WWE?

Honestly, I had forgotten that he was ever a part of the WWE. He worked a handful of matches, a show in Saudi Arabia, and then vanished again, just like he’d never been there. He does nothing for me so I’d just as soon he stays away and WWE invests instead in someone who matters.

Thoughts on Vampiro? How would you rate his run in WCW?

Vampiro had a decent run in WCW, but it could have been better. He wasn’t ex-WWF and wasn’t part of the clique of top guys who ran the place so he was forced to be a mid-carder at best, with a feud against Sting and some tag team matches as part of the Dark Carnival. He could have been used much better, but it was WCW so the same argument could be used about a lot of people. He’s a talented wrestler and was over like Rover in Mexico. I consider myself a fan.

Who has been wrestler of the year in 2023?

It’s a tough call, but as of right now, I’ll go with either LA Knight or Christian Cage. Knight has seemingly come from nowhere and he’s the hottest ticket in WWE at the moment, while Christian has reinvented himself with the “dead father” character and he’s arguably the best pure heel in the business today. So either of those men would be my pick as of right now.

Would you rather get thrown off Hell In A Cell or take a stink face from Rikishi?

I don’t like pain so taking a fall off the top of a cage is out of the question. A stink face? Hell, I’ve done worse. Bring it on, Kishi.

Harley Race versus Verne Gagne. Who wins?

The greatest NWA Champion of all time against the owner and multi-time AWA World Champion who helped to train him and break him into the business. This match would be incredible. Verne wasn’t flashy, but he was a shooter who could go with the best of them. And Harley? It’s Harley Race. What more needs to be said? Harley would take the win after about 45 very stiff and exciting minutes.

Who are five dream opponents you’d like to see face Gunther?

Let’s go with Gunther versus Wahoo McDaniel, Nikita Koloff, Blackjack Mulligan, Scott Hall, and Larry Zbyszko.

Please explain how Cody Rhodes went from one of the most hated characters in AEW to one of WWE’s most beloved.

It’s all about the presentation and booking. In AEW, Cody was the rare adult among the children, was out of the title picture, and the fans of flippy wrestling didn’t appreciate what the second-generation wrestler brought to the table. Plus there was the Brandi Rhodes factor, but we won’t talk about that. In WWE, he’s the returning hero, the son of a legend, and he’s presented as a man following a dream. What’s not to like or appreciate?

Do you remember a wrestler called “The Boston Bad Boy” Tony Rumble? Thoughts?

I do remember Rumble faintly. He was part of a group called International World Class Championship Wrestling, along with guys like Vic Steamboat, The Tasmaniac (Taz before he shortened his name), Curley Joe, and a few others. Bad matches, low-quality production standards, and laughable characters in a syndicated product that often aired at 3:00 in the morning on local B-stations that didn’t have anything else. Rumble was the exception to the rule there though, as the promoter, booker, and sometimes wrestler. He was entertaining, could talk, and in the few matches I remember, wasn’t a bad wrestler. He was more of a manager type though if I recall correctly. Seemed like a pretty good heel.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any 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!