Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Rhea Ripley, The Westboro Baptist Church, Tatanka & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Greetings, salutations, and how the hell are you? I’m your Guiding Light and party host, Doug, and this is the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Are you ready for an extended edition of the Q&A? You’re welcome. Now, ring the bell, and let’s roll.

In your opinion, who was CM Punk’s greatest rival?

I had to think on this for a moment and my first replay was going to be “the truth”. Few have been slandered and lied about more than Punk by such fountains of misinformation as Meltzer, Adam Page, The Young Bucks, and the more rabid AEW fans than Punk. It’s cool to slander Punk and they love to do it. But I’ll go with the more serious answer here, in terms of a good match and storyline. My choice would be John Cena.

What match could you watch over and over because of the story it told?

Probably Flair’s first retirement match against Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 24. It was the perfect storybook ending for one of the greatest wrestling careers of all time and was incredible with the build, the match itself, and the ending. Of course, Ric had to come back a few times and make the significance of that match worthless, but it was and is still one of my favorites.

Should WWE bring back the “Guest Hosts” for RAW?

No. That was an interesting and fun concept for the time, but it’s also an idea best left in the past, only as a memory and nothing else.

Who’s the first person that comes to mind when you see the WWE Hardcore Championship?

Easy answer. The Hardcore Legend, Mick Foley.

William Regal vs. Gunther. Who wins?

In their primes, this would be an incredible match to behold. Both have the European style of performing, mixed with unique skills and characters. I think Gunther would take the victory, but that’s more because of how Regal was usually booked than any other reason. It would be an epic encounter for both men, regardless of who came out on top at the end of the night.

Nic Nemeth, Matt Cardona & Kofi Kingston versus The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts). Who wins?

An interesting and fun match to be sure, but the outcome is in little doubt. Freebirds all the way.

Hornswoggle & Wee Man versus El Torito & Brad Williams in a Celebrity WeeLC Match at Wrestlemania. Who wins?

The fans because this would be hilarious to watch and the antics would be wild. Swoggle and Torito are both experienced wrestlers so they would handle the physical stuff. Wee Man can do some physical stuff based on his experiences in JackAss. And Brad? Well, he can tell jokes. Swoggle and Wee Man would win.

Who is the better wrestler? Asuka or Goldberg?

Is this even a serious question? One is an accomplished multi-time champion who has worked all over the world and had many fantastic matches. The other is Goldberg. The Empress of Tomorrow or Bret Hart’s favorite person? I’ll go with Asuka for this one.

Rhea Ripley has been the champion for 355 days. Can she stay champion for 355 more?

I would have no problems with that happening. She’s a fantastic performer and, despite being a heel, is incredibly over with the fans. Mami belongs on top and is the champion for another year? That sounds good to me.

The nWo (Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall) versus The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose). Who wins?

The Shield was the better team in terms of working together, performing in the ring, and having good matches. Hogan and Nash are better politicians and would find more reasons not to lose than there are fans in the audience. I don’t think Scott Hall would give a damn either way. It’s a tough call, but I think for this one, the Shield would win.

The Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, KS, announced that it would be picketing the 4/29 Raw show in Kansas City. This was due to the Janel Grant lawsuit and the charges in the suit as it relates to Vince McMahon and the company. Thoughts?

One of my goals in life is to live my life in a way that the Westboro Baptist Church would boycott my work and protest my funeral. They’re a joke and little more. No one gives a damn what they’re doing and who they’re protesting this week or the next. Maybe they haven’t read the memo, but Vince is a sleaze who no longer has any power at all at WWE. It’s just an attempt by a bunch of morons desperate for attention and relevance. No one cares.

If you could bring in Tatanka to have a feud with 1 top star, who would it be and why?

Chris Chavis, aka Tatanka, is still in great shape despite being 62 years old, but I can’t see any reason that any of the major companies would bring him in for a feud or anything physical against anyone. He does still do the occasional independent show here in NC, but his days of wrestling regularly are behind him. But that being said, if WWE did get the notion to bring him in to do something, I’d put him up against Kevin Owens. It’d be a good match and Owens could protect Tatanka from any serious injuries while still making him look like a million bucks. And if AEW was to bring him in, I’d match him against Hook. I don’t know why, but that just seems like it’d be a fun, albeit short match for the fans to enjoy.

If you could each cherry-pick one member of the WWE roster to join AEW, who would you choose and why?

Bronson Reed. WWE is dropping the ball with this guy, but I think he’s got a good future ahead of him. With that size in AEW, he’d be a huge star, at least for a few weeks anyhow.

Mankind or Goldberg?

I would go with Mrs. Foley’s baby boy, Mick, aka Mankind.

Would you be interested in seeing MCMGs in AEW?

The Motor City Machine Guns, aka Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin as part of AEW? Matches between them and FTR would be great to watch. So yes, I’d be cool with that.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. And with that, let’s wrap this up. Take care and be well, my friends. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!