Tossing Salt Presents:
Wrestling Fact or Fiction
Royal Rumble Edition
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Tomorrow is the WWE Royal Rumble Premium Live Event, available on the WWE Network and Peacock, and to commemorate the big event, it’s a special Thirty Statement, to represent thirty participants in each Rumble match, edition of Wrestling Fact or Fiction.

Thanks to Mr. Jake Chambers and the great folks at 411mania.com for providing the statements and the format. And the opinions that follow, that’s all me, baby. So are you ready? Let’s roll.

Statement #1: Bayley will win the 2024 Women’s Royal Rumble.

FICTION: I love Bayley and do believe that she’ll be in the Final Four of the Women’s Rumble match. I also believe that she’ll end up challenging Iyo Sky at Mania and end up being kicked out of DAMAGE CTRL as a result of the events that occur during this match. But all that being said, my prediction to win is The Man, Becky Lynch.

Statement #2: You spell battle royale with an “e”.

FICTION: That may be the European style of spelling and it does look more classy, but I’m from the old school of good old-fashioned American spelling. That means, no “E” involved.

Statement #3: There should be a Tag Team Royal Rumble match.

FICTION: It’s a fun idea, but it seems like there would be more problems than positives with this match, trying to put it together and in the structure of the match. Better to just imagine “What if?” and leave it there.

Statement #4: For Cody Rhodes to “finish the story” he must defeat Roman Reigns for the WWE Title in a Wrestlemania main event.

FICTION: The story is about winning the title that his father never held and isn’t quite champion specific as to who he has to beat to finish the story. While it would be ideal if Roman Reigns was the man who Cody ends up defeating, that’s just the cherry on the top of the cake. If the champion was Randy Orton, CM Punk, or anyone else, the story still gets a nice finish.

Statement #5: You will consume alcohol while watching this year’s Royal Rumble match.

FICTION: I’ll be working all day tomorrow and then watching the Rumble after I get home from work. Alcohol is a possibility, but most likely, I’ll be sipping on a Mt. Dew Zero or Pepsi Zero instead.

Statement #6: Draymond Green has a WWE career waiting for him after he retires from the NBA.

FICTION: I have no idea who this is, nor do I care. If this guy was an NFL dude or Olympian, I might have more interest, but with a basketball player, not named Michael Jordan, I could care less.

Statement #7: You recognize The Big Show as the real winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble match.

FICTION: The Rock was declared the winner, thus The Rock was the official winner. Sorry, Big Show, but the referee’s decision is final.

Statement #8: An “Even Greater” Royal Rumble with 60 entrants would be fun.

FACT: I remember when they did the 40-man Rumble in Saudi Arabia and I liked it as a special event. So sixty-men as a special event? Why not? Works for me.

Statement #9: Jinder Mahal’s WWE championship run was underrated.

FACT: It may not have been the best reign as Champion in WWE history, but it was decent enough, better than some and worse than others. I like Jinder and think he’s a good talent who represented the WWE well and hopefully will have the chance again at some point.

Statement #10: Tony Khan’s tweets are fun.

FACTS: Tony Khan on Twitter is always fun and makes for good content and discussion. Nothing beats a good Tony Khan rant and a blast of craziness on X.

Statement #11: Santino Marella’s “I wasn’t ready!” elimination from the 2009 Rumble match is the funniest moment in Royal Rumble history.

FACT: Being the funniest is subjective to opinion, but I can’t think of anything that tops it right off the top of my head. Santino Marella is always funny and makes for a good time.

Statement #12: You are more interested in what Nic Nemeth does post-WWE than Matt Riddle.

FICTION: I’m interested in both men and what the future holds for each. Nemeth isn’t too hard to figure out that he’ll have great matches, do well, and have continued success. Riddle is more of a question mark in how his character, his personality, and baggage will allow him to progress and evolve in his career. There are more, “What if’s” involved with Riddle.

Statement #13: Here’s a good idea, a TLC Royal Rumble: entrants can be eliminated by going over the top OR by being put through a table, chairs are ladders are legal, and after all 30 entrants have entered then the remaining wrestlers can go after a Wrestlemania main event contract hanging above the ring.

FICTION: It’s an interesting idea, but sounds too convoluted and complex to make smoothly work and have a good match. To me, it’d end up being a total cluster of a match and more confusing than anything. A good idea on paper, but in reality, not so much.

Statement #14: In pro wrestling, a good punch is better than a good chop.

FACTS: In a real fight, you punch and not chop. I understand that we’re talking about pro wrestling and not real fights, but the whole idea is to present wrestling as realistic as possible. That means more punches and less chopping, at least to me.

Statement #15: In the next 20 years, someone will break Stone Cold Steve Austin’s record of 3 Royal Rumble match wins.

FICTION: It could happen and in pro wrestling, you never say never, but my gut says that the three wins for the Rumble and Stone Cold’s record is pretty safe.

Statement #16: Kazuchika Okada should go to the WWE.

FACT: It depends on what Okada is looking for. If it’s an easy schedule and a big paycheck that he wants, AEW is the best option. If he wants to be pushed to be better and become a bigger star than ever, WWE would be the best place to go. I’d like to see Okada in WWE and see him grow and improve and become an even bigger name if possible. But the bottom line is what Okada wants and is looking for.

Statement #17: WCW’s three-ring World War 3 battle royale concept should be brought back.

FICTION: I enjoyed the World War 3 PPV events and concept, but more often than not, it was a cluster of a match. Confusing and hard, even for the announcers to keep track of the action. I could see it maybe coming back as a one-off event or special attraction but as a regular thing, not so much.

Statement #18: If The Rock wrestles at Wrestlemania 40 it will NOT be his last match.

FACT: The Rock is addicted to the business and so long as his body holds up, I don’t think he’ll ever totally go away or be retired. He has the itch and won’t be totally through until he doesn’t have a choice. Another match? Sure thing. No problem.

Statement #19: You prefer to watch actual wrestling over movies about wrestling, like The Iron Claw.

FACT: I’m a wrestling fan and I love to watch professional wrestling. I also love to watch good movies and shows about professional wrestling. The bottom line is I love wrestling, be it matches, movies, or anything else. But the actual in-ring product and promos and story-telling will always be my favorite part.

Statement #20: Playing the Royal Rumble mode in the early ’90s WWF WrestleFest arcade game is history’s greatest wrestling video game experience.

FICTION: I remember playing this game and it was pretty damn awesome to a younger me. But much later, playing WWE against my bro-son’s Mini-Me, it was even better. And yes, I admit it. He thoroughly kicked my ass.

Statement #21: If the top rope breaks during a battle royale, wrestlers should still be legally eliminated by being thrown over the 2nd rope.

FACT: If the top rope breaks, then the second rope becomes the top rope by default. It’s the top rope now and being tossed over it, with both feet touching the floor, they’re eliminated. ‘Nuff said!

Statement #22: 2x Royal Rumble winner John Cena is the greatest wrestler of all time.

FICTION: Cena is a good wrestler and all that, but “all-time” covers a lot of territory and names, and many names, such as Harley Race, Ric Flair, Masked Superstar, and Bobby Eaton, have to be in the argument as well. Cena is a legend, but the topic of GOAT is subject to discussion and argument.

Statement #23: Here’s another good idea – a Reverse Royal Rumble: the match starts with all 30 entrants in the ring and every 2 minutes someone is randomly eliminated, but you can be safe from the random countdown eliminations if you eliminate someone else first.

FICTION: TNA/Impact Wrestling tried this and it flopped, badly. It wasn’t quite the same as you’re describing, but it was close enough and it sucked. Better to leave it in the past as a bad memory.

Statement #24: No one ever retires – the Undertaker will wrestle again.

FICTION: I think that Taker may have one match left in him, but I also feel that while it’s true that most wrestlers only see retirement with a question mark, Taker is probably the one person who truly means it. He respects his career and legacy too much to screw it up.

Statement #25: IMPACT Wrestling changing their name back to TNA will make you watch again.

FICTION: The name change seems to have added a new fire and spark to the TNA product. The product has been good for quite a while and this just adds new eyes and energy to the product. Unfortunately, this won’t be me because quite simply, I don’t have the time. AXS on Thursday night just doesn’t work for me right now. Maybe if my schedule and life change, I’ll watch. But I doubt it.

Statement #26: WWE should bring back the ECW brand again.

FICTION: ECW should be left as a fond memory and historic promotion. WWE tried to bring back ECW and we all remember how that turned out. Leave the legacy as it is and don’t mess things up by trying to reinvent the wheel.

Statement #27: You would be excited to see Shane McMahon as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match this year.

FACT: It would get a good pop and be exciting to see. Shane is probably one of the last names that anyone would be expecting, so just for a surprise, it would be a big moment and fun to see.

Statement #28: WWE already has too many international PLEs scheduled for this year.

FICTION: WWE is an international company that is shown all over the world. There is no such thing as too many PPVs, so long as they make money and draw fans. This just adds to the legacy and reputation of WWE as a worldwide company and that is never a bad thing.

Statement #29: It’s sad that one year ago Sami Zayn was the hottest wrestler in the world, but now no one talks about him, he has no chance of winning the Royal Rumble or ever main-eventing a Wrestlemania again.

FICTION: Sami Zayn is one of those performers who, when he comes back to television, all it will take is one good promo and a good story and he’ll be right up on top again, circling the main event and ready to headline again. He just needs an opportunity.

Statement #30: CM Punk will win the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble.

FICTION: While I do expect to see Punk in the Final Four of the Men’s Rumble if you read my predictions, you’ll note that I expect to see Punk get his flowers at the Elimination Chamber event in Australia. So far as tomorrow night and the Rumble match that’s happening then, I think we’re going to have a lot to talk about come Monday night. Cody will be the winner.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. And thanks again to Jake Chambers and 411mania.com/wrestling for allowing me to borrow their toys and play with them for a bit. Questions, comments, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe. And with that, let’s wrap things up and call it a day. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!