Tossing Salt Presents
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Greg Valentine, Tony Atlas, Tom and Nick Mysterio & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Good morning. Baby, it’s cold outside. 19 degrees. I guess I’m staying home all day today. I don’t like cold. So why are we here? It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. That’s why. Bundle up and let’s talk about the King of Sports. Let’s roll.

Vince Russo recently stated, talking about Tony Khan, that “You can not have thin skin in this business”. Thoughts?

While I hate to agree with Vince Russo, more true words have never been spoken. Khan, and hell, Russo for that matter, both tend to overreact to criticism and get upset way too easily. Russo isn’t as bad as he used to be, but poor Tony is just one mean tweet away from a total meltdown more often than not.

Harley Race, Nick Bockwinkel, and Bob Backlund versus Dusty Rhodes, Larry Zbyszko, and Jack Brisco. Who wins?

It would be a no-contest as Zbyszko would use a foreign object to lay out Dusty and when Backlund decided to help his fellow babyface, Harley & Nick would beat the crap out of him. Brisco would smirk and just walk off while Harley, Nick, and Larry lay the smackdown on The Dream and Backlund. Eventually, the locker room would empty and the heels would leave the ring area while the ref declared it a no-contest finish.

Dutch Mantell recently referred to Lex Luger as the “worst wrestler in the history of the business”. Yeah, Lex had his moments, but he wasn’t that bad. Thoughts?

Lex wasn’t a great wrestler, but he was a steady and reliable character and with the proper opponents, he could have some strong or decent matches. I don’t think Dutch meant this literally, but was probably just talking to be talking. After all, how can Lex be the worst wrestler so long as Nick Gulas and Tex McKenzie exist?

Would Greg Valentine have made a good NWA or WWF Champion? Why did he never get to be World Champion?

As a long-term champion, I can’t see Greg in that role. He was certainly credible enough in the ring and his abilities on the mic were strong, but he was just kind of bland as a personality. WWF did the tease with Greg and Bob Backlund where the WWF Championship was held up for a month after a controversial call by the referee during one of their matches, but that was about as close as Greg ever came to winning the big one. He would have been an excellent transitional champion, maybe holding the belt for a few months at most, but more than that, I can’t see it.

Thoughts on Mr. USA Tony Atlas?

I remember a very young Tony Atlas in the late 70s, working the Mid-Atlantic territory and he had an amazing body and physique. He got the strong push way too early in my opinion, before he was ready, and that kind of ruined things later in his career. He wasn’t a great wrestler, but he was likable and drew fans. But his lack of education and experience made him less likely to be taken seriously and he ended up with characters like the Black Superman and Saba Simba on his resume. And when he had his big comeback, he just sat on a stool and laughed. He was easily manipulated and controlled by the promoters, plus had a ton of personal demons in control and all of that took its toll. He was never going to be a top guy, but everything was stacked against him from Day 1 and he’s ended up with a career that was only a shadow of what it could have been.

Drew McIntyre seems to be the odd man out in WWE these days, with everyone forming factions (Bloodline, Judgment Day, Pride, LWO, etc.). Should Drew form a faction to watch his back and if so, who should be in it?

A Drew McIntyre-led faction? That sounds good to me. As for who would belong, I think his two best friends (legit) on the roster would make the perfect partners, that being Sheamus and Jinder Mahal. Bring back Heath Slater to be the fourth man and there you go.

Should WWE bring in Australian wrestler Jesse Lambert to play the role of Tom as in Tom & Nick Mysterio, teaming with Dom to bring R-Truth’s favorite tag team to life? Yes or no?

For a fun time spot, I would say no, but I’ve seen the pictures of Lambert, Domi, and Mami from their recent trip to Australia to promote the upcoming Elimination Chamber event and the resemblance between Dom & Lambert is uncanny. It would make for a great backstage skit for R-Truth to finally meet “Nick Mysterio” and cause some comedic chaos. It’d be too good an opportunity to pass up so I’m hoping that WWE does at least bring in Lambert for a spot or two during the Elimination Chamber weekend.

Butch is The Bruiserweight Pete Dunne again. Thoughts?

It’s about damn time. Good for Dunne. And now, let’s see him kick some ass and get the push that he deserves. I’m happy for him.

CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, or Drew McIntyre. Who will finish their story first?

It’s an interesting question and it’s hard to answer, given the swerve that the injuries to Seth Rollins have thrown into the mix. If Seth vacates the World Championship, how will the next champion be determined and who will it be? Will we end up with either Punk or Drew getting the belt and defending against the other one at Mania? And how will the deal with Cody play out now that The Rock is in the picture, not to mention the 4_Way title defense by Roman against Orton, AJ, and LA Knight at the Rumble? There are too many outside factors involved to properly answer this question. I guess we’ll just have to keep watching and see what happens.

Should WWE hire Tessa Blanchard?

If I was the man making the call, especially with the absence and injuries to Charlotte Flair, I would say yes. She’s been working to clear the air of her past accusations and is a damn good performer, both in the ring and on the mic. Yes, she still has baggage, but it’s nothing that the WWE P.R. machine can’t handle and I think she would be worth the effort. So Tessa to the WWE? I’d say yes.

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. I need to go fix breakfast. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!