Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Jack Swagger, Victoria, Orange Cassidy & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. I’m Doug. Let’s roll.

Dutch Mantell thinks that WWE should give Jack Swagger another try and that the “Real American” gimmick would be very over right now. Agree or disagree?

I’m with Dutch on this one. Swagger can go in the ring and is a good wrestler. The “We The People” gimmick was very popular and in today’s mega-politically charged times, just imagine the heat or reaction that character would get. Mantell isn’t available to be his manager anymore, but align Swagger with the right person and it is money waiting to be made.

What are your thoughts on the current RAW product?

Some nights are good. Some are better. And even the bad nights now are far better than what WWE was offering three years ago or anything that AEW currently has to offer.

Will Logan Paul ever be a WWE World Champion?

It would be fun to see and with WWE, one should never say never. But that being said, I don’t think it will ever happen.

Do you think The Rock has ever watched a full episode of WCW Nitro?

It’s a possibility, but I doubt it.

Vince Russo recently said that he doesn’t think that Victoria will ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame due to “political reasons”. Thoughts?

I would love to know what these political reasons might be. Victoria, aka Lisa Marie Varon, was a very talented performer for WWE and had a great run that is remembered fondly by most fans. In my opinion, she’s a first-round pick for the Hall of Fame. I think (hope) Russo is wrong on this one.

So, does Becky Lynch show up at Forbidden Door to challenge Mercedes Monet? Yes or no?

I don’t think it will happen. Becky would make a lot of money and be great publicity for AEW, but that would burn a bridge I don’t think Becky is ready to burn. Becky strikes me as a loyal WWE talent and I think that is exactly where she’ll remain.

Could Orange Cassidy have had a run in WWE? I’m not saying push him the way Tony does. But if OC came to WWE and stayed exactly the way he is, with no evolution, could he at least last 3 years and one contract, either under Paul Levesque or the Previous administration?

Orange Cassidy, pre-AEW, was strictly a comedy wrestler. His character, with the fake kicks and the hands in the pocket, would not have worked for WWE management or fans. He wouldn’t make it past the first tryout, much less last any significant amount of time.

According to Sportskeeda, MJF is allegedly making 15 million dollars a year with AEW. Is he worth that much?

Congratulations to MJF if he is making that much, but considering the source, I highly doubt that amount is correct. While Tony Khan is known for allegedly over-paying talent, even he wouldn’t pay that much for one name.

Hypothetically speaking, let’s say WBD offered Tony 150m for a 1-year extension (which would give Tony around 6 months to bring his ratings back up before he begins to negotiate a new better deal) or 85m for 5 years with no increases or incentives built in, just a flat, locked in number. Tony Khan comes to you and asks which is the better offer to take. How do you advise him? In honor of MJF’s bad tattoo, do you advise Tony to “Bet on himself”?

The safe deal is the second one that would at least assure AEW a home for five years. But I would probably suggest the first deal. It’s only for a year, but if Tony would swallow his pride and hire an experienced booker, focus on characters and stories, and concentrate on making a stronger product that is more than just random matches, AEW would grow, get better ratings, and attendance at live events, and a better deal could be reached. I don’t think Tony would listen, but I’d advise the first deal and make the necessary changes to make it work.

Do you think WWE and Triple H need to pay more attention to contracts expiring? Eventually, it might come back to screw them with someone showing up on AEW. Becky was just the champion & her deal was up. Nattie has been on NXT and her deal was up. Seth and Drew signed right before their deals were up so they lucked out there. And now I see Chad Gable and Ricochet deals expire soon. Chad is getting a push and Ricochet is the Speed Champion.

It seems as if WWE is dropping the ball with talent relations and contracts. I’m guessing this was possibly one of the departments that merged when WWE and UFC became one. Someone needs to step up and place more emphasis on contracts. That is rather obvious. Hopefully, someone will.

And there you go. Thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe. And with that, I’m out of here. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!