Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
John Tenta, Sting, A New Nexus & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

I can’t sleep and have wrestling on my brain, so let’s tackle a few questions. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. And that is all the people need to know. Let’s roll.

Kareem Muhammad and Elijah Akeem, The Zambaui Express with Gentleman Jim Holiday versus Men on a Mission (Mabel & Mo) w/ Oscar. Who wins?

I remember The Zambaui Express before they hooked up with manager Jim Holiday in Florida when they were just Ray Candy and Leroy Brown. Two big guys who weren’t the best wrestlers, but you had to stand up and take notice when they came on television. Men on a Mission was a creation of the WWE Machine and they weren’t bad, but they weren’t really good either. It was all about the presentation and gimmick. I think Candy & Brown, aka The Zambaui Express, would win this one.

The Great Kabuki versus The Great Muta, with Gary Hart as the guest referee. Who wins?

The mist would be flying like crazy and I think Hart would end up being sprayed by both guys before the match was over. It’s a tough call, but I’ll go with Muta on this one.

Any speculation on why HHH’s real name is suddenly appearing on TV?

I guess that it’s to help separate the character, Triple H, from the ties to Vince McMahon and to come across as more professional and credible to TKO’s business partners, sponsors, and associates at the same time.

Thoughts on John Tenta, aka The Earthquake?

A big man with a legitimate background in Sumo Wrestling who had a great character and was a top star of his era. His time in WCW, as The Shark and then as more of a background character than anything else wasn’t all that good, but Tenta was a consummate professional and always gave 100% in every situation. Tenta would never be the top guy, but he played the role of the menace and monster so well, he would always have a spot.

If Vince had taken Cody a lot more seriously early in his career, would AEW exist?

Probably not or at least not in the way it exists today. Tony Khan is the son of a billionaire so the chances of him chasing his dreams and creating a wrestling promotion were still pretty high, but the way AEW was formed and brought together, that would have happened differently if Cody hadn’t been involved. And if WWE had seen him differently and used him as a star, he wouldn’t have been.

After Smackdown ended, there was a dark match with Gunther beating Cameron Grimes. After his victory, Gunther kept beating Grimes until R-Truth came to the ring and chased Gunther off. So, maybe Gunther versus R-Truth at Wrestlemania? Thoughts?

I doubt we’ll see this happen at Mania, but for a good televised match as part of RAW, there’s a very good chance of Gunther versus Truth in a featured match. The fans love Truth and having Gunther beat him up would generate great heel heat for Gunther, plus pop the ratings for RAW. I think, if it happens, that’s the way it will go down.

Triple H, Nick Aldis, Cody Rhodes, Adam Pearce versus The Rock, Roman Reigns, Solo Akoai, and Jimmy Uso w/ Paul Heyman. Who wins?

We’re assuming that everyone is in their prime, right? If so, this match would be awesome. Two former NWA Champions, the Game, and the two-time Rumble winner versus The Bloodline and the Rock. And let’s not forget the Wise Man outside of the ring. The build would be excellent and the match would deliver. And The Bloodline would find a way to win.

What are your thoughts on Bret Hart’s recent comments about “Having no respect for Vince”, and Vince McMahon “becoming a weirdo”?

I get what Bret is saying, but it does seem odd that it took all of the recent things happening for Bret to lose his respect for Vince and it didn’t happen when we had the Montreal Screwjob or when Owen passed away. It’s just an odd statement to me for some reason.

Thoughts on Darby Allin and Sting winning the AEW Tag Titles?

I’m happy for Sting and it’s a nice idea to have Sting go out with gold around his waist, but he didn’t need it and if the reports I’ve heard about Sting being opposed to the idea are true, it makes even less sense. Now, it’s Sting and Darby, in Sting’s last match, against The Young Bucks for the titles. If Sting and Darby win, then we have to vacate the belts, set up a tournament, and it gets kind of complicated. If The Bucks win, the Sting’s career ends with the loss, and the fans go home unhappy. Starks & Big Bill were doing fine as the Champions and there was no reason for them to lose their titles. Sting & Darby versus The Bucks don’t need titles to make it important and relevant. I’m glad Sting can add to his resume with one more title before he calls it a day, but he doesn’t need it and it doesn’t add to his retirement and final match in my opinion. Not at all.

If you could reform The Nexus and lead an invasion of NXT with any seven wrestlers you wanted, who would be on your team?

My Nexus 2.0 faction would be Alan Angels from TNA, Joe Gacy from NXT, Nathan Cross, Angel Angels, Sammy Love from ACW/C.A.G.E. here in NC, Aaron Solow from AEW, and finally, as the leader of the pack, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, aka MJF.

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. The sun is starting to rise and I need to go to bed for a few hours. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches. Follow me on X at @Doug28352. Until the next time.

Ubuntu!