Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Zach Gowen, CM Punk, Drake Maverick & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A and that is all the people need to know. Happy Birthday to my nephew, Mr. Shawn Gantt. Love you, dude. And now, let’s roll.

What was the most shocking WWE debut/return?

CM Punk showing up this past weekend would qualify, as would The Rock’s appearance a few weeks ago with Pat McAfee. But the most surprising was many years ago when Eric Bischoff walked out on RAW, hugged Vince McMahon, and became the General Manager for RAW. That was before the internet spoiled everything and we didn’t know all the backstage stuff. It gave me chills then and still does to this day.

Would you like to see Zach Gowen return to the WWE, maybe as a surprise at the Royal Rumble?

I saw Gowen recently interviewing with Chris Van Vliet and he looks great. Just imagine a face-off with him and Brock Lensar in the middle of the Royal Rumble match. Just imagine the pop from the audience and the facial reactions from Lesnar facing his past. It would be incredible. Gowen with a surprise one-shot return? Hell yes, please.

In his promo on RAW this past Monday, CM Punk said that he’s “home”. Thoughts?

Punk wrestled for WWE for almost 8 years before everything imploded and went to shit that first time, so coming back now has to have a sense of familiarity for Punk and despite the bad ending, bring back some good memories and feelings as well. I can identify with how he feels and get it.

Do you think that CM Punk intentionally got himself fired from AEW?

That’s an interesting question, but when dealing with the hypocrites and children that were and are AEW management and the, as mentioned by many, lack of structure backstage at AEW, I can understand why he’d quickly get tired of it and want to get out. I’m not saying that Punk deliberately rocked the boat to get himself terminated, but I can say that I’d understand why he would do so if that’s what he did.

Why do so many people who loved AEW now talk trash about them? You’re either a wrestling fan or not.

I think a lot of people who were once high on AEW, myself included, now talk trash about them because we’re disappointed in how, instead of progressing and growing as a company and product, they’ve gotten worse with little to no development or growth. The matches are sloppy, the booking is lackluster at best, stories and build for matches are non-existent, and while we expected the best, we’re getting everything but. Yes, we’re all wrestling fans, but we expect the wrestling to be good and sadly, the majority of the AEW product, is not.

Is Drake Maverick, aka Rockstar Spud, still with WWE? I would love to see him back on WWE TV.

Maverick works backstage as part of the WWE Creative team and works as a writer for WWE RAW. So he’s there every week and the possibility for him showing up on WWE television is always there. I’d love to see him return as well and do a spot or two with the now-returned R-Truth. Those two have such excellent chemistry together.

Was the return of CM Punk to WWE a bigger blow to AEW or a bigger triumph for WWE? Who feels the impact and consequences more?

It was a big blow to AEW. While it set record numbers on social media and in terms of publicity and merchandise sales for WWE, AEW suffered the lowest ratings ever for AEW Collision running opposite the Survivor Series event, they’ve been buried in social media for letting Punk go. It was a big win for WWE and a big kick in the balls for AEW and Tony Khan personally.

What match/encounter are you looking forward to the most for CM Punk and his return?

I’m waiting for the on-camera reunion of CM Punk and Paul Heyman. Given Heyman’s role as the Special Council for Roman Reigns, but also his history with Punk, you know it’s going to be an epic moment. I saw a meme on one of the wrestling groups with an announcement for a match at Wrestlemania with CM Punk versus Brock Lesnar versus Roman Reigns in a “Heyman On A Pole” Match. Punk’s first confrontations with any of those men, be it Heyman, Brock, or Roman, are going to make for good television.

Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham & Arn Anderson versus Alpha Academy (Chad Gable, Otis, Akira Tozawa). Who wins?

One more for the Horsemen. Tully, Arn, and Barry with a big win after James J. Dillon knocks Tozawa out with his shoe from the outside.

In their primes, Dusty Rhodes versus Hulk Hogan in a steel cage match. Who wins?

If we’re in Madison Square Garden, Hogan wins. If it’s in Atlanta or Tampa, Dusty would win. And if it’s in neutral territory, like Wembley Stadium, Hogan would win because he’s the bigger star worldwide, but Dusty would make sure that the finish makes him the center of attention and he comes out with a strong angle or story to play on for the next year or so.

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 Baby Doll and that roll of quarters. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!