Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Gable Steveson, The Bloodline, Bryan Danielson & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. I’m Doug and this is how we do it. I’m your party host and Guiding Light. Let’s roll.

Gable Steveson has been released by WWE. Thoughts?

Despite his background as an Olympic Gold Medalist and very impressive amateur background, Steveson just didn’t seem to be able to connect with WWE fans. The fact that he had rape allegations against him and only managed to avoid trial due to some technicalities didn’t help either. Most of the reactions he received were either negative or indifferent and after a couple of years under the NXT/WWE umbrella, it wasn’t getting any better. WWE made the right move, in my opinion, to cut their losses and move on.

Any chance of WWE bringing back traditional Survivor Series matches as the undercard for the Wargames? Maybe the Survivors advance to the cage?

Traditional Survivor Series matches are always a possibility. But matches where the Survivors go to the War Games? That part, I don’t see. War Games was created as a final solution to end feuds and settle grudges. A bunch of random guys against a different bunch of random guys seems to defeat the whole concept and purpose. It’s best to keep The Survivor Series matches and the War Games match as two different attractions.

How did you discover pro wrestling for the first time?

When I was very young, I watched wrestling with my older brothers and even went to see the live matches on Tuesday night in Raleigh at the legendary Dorton Arena. I’ve been a fan for as long as I can remember.

What are you watching when you aren’t watching pro wrestling?

Music videos on YouTube, the old Dean Martin Roasts, and Kevin Smith movies.

WWE Backlash 2024 is officially over. Rate this year’s show overall on a scale of 1-10.

I’ll give it a solid 8. The action was top-notch from start to finish and the crazy energy from the live crowd in Paris was pure insanity at its best. Every match exceeded expectations and it was just a good and entertaining show from bell to bell.

You’re told to gather a team to face The Ultimate Warrior, Lars Sullivan, Ryback, and Marty Jannetty in a War Games match. Who would be your team?

Right off the top of my head, I’d go with Sting, Drew McIntyre, CM Punk, and the Disco Inferno as my team.

How long does it take you to figure out if a pro wrestler has “it” or not?

Usually, a couple of appearances or matches is all that it takes. I’ve been a fan for over fifty years, a true smart-mark Senior Edition if you will, and I think I’ve seen and learned quite a bit over the years. I have a good eye for talent or so I’ve been told and I tend to look at the small things that stand out rather than just the immediate picture. My track record at picking guys who have that “it” and who don’t has been rather good so far. Not to toot my own horn, but toot toot!

The Bloodline has grown as Tanga Lao just made his WWE debut at Backlash, aiding his brother, Tama Tanga, and Solo Sikoa, to victory against KO and Randy Orton. Thoughts?

It’s getting wild and unpredictable for the Bloodline and with the potential addition of Jacob Fatu shortly, The Bloodline is getting bigger and stronger than ever. Good move by the WWE and it just makes things more interesting every week.

After suffering some injuries in his loss to Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty, Bryan Danielson is at home and allegedly not even cleared to travel. Thoughts?

Danielson is his own worst enemy regarding staying healthy and looking after himself. He wasn’t 100% going into the match with Ospreay and such a fast-paced and high-impact match took its toll. Here’s to a full and painless recovery for the American Dragon and here’s hoping that after this, as his career winds down, he’ll slow down, wrestle smarter, and pick his spots. One can only hope.

WrestleMania 41 will be in Las Vegas and WrestleMania Sunday will fall on Easter. Thoughts?

Mania in Vegas is not a surprise as it has been the rumored top choice for a while now. A change to Easter weekend is a bit of a surprise, but it does cancel out rival sporting events and other opposition so I guess it makes sense. Wrestling has always been synonymous with running big events on holidays so I’m guessing this is just a throwback to days past.

Seth Rollins w/ Becky Lynch versus Macho Man Randy Savage w/ Queen Sherri. Who wins?

This would be such an awesome match. It’s hard to pick a winner, but my gut says the Macho Man and Macho Queen so Randy and Sherri it is.

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

Ubuntu!