Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Masato Tanaka, Kenny Omega, Bret Hart & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

It’s the PM edition of the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. I’m Doug. Let’s get busy and roll.

If Kurt Angle could return for one last match, who would be his opponent?

The obvious choice would be Chad Gable. And if Gable isn’t available, a match with Angle versus Pete Dunne would be pretty incredible as well.

Masato Tanaka says that he has a Work Visa and wants to work in the United States. Do you think any of the big three, AEW, TNA, or WWE, would have any interest in the ECW veteran?

Tanaka has been wrestling for 31 years so I don’t see WWE having any interest. Despite only being 51 years old, there is a lot of mileage on that body. I could see AEW arranging a match or two, given Tony Khan’s love of Japanese wrestling. Most likely though, if Tanaka does do anything major while in the United States, I think GCW (Game Changer Wrestling) might be the most likely promotion that can and will use him.

IF the Lucha Bros are indeed heading to WWE, how do you see them making their debut?

If they debut in NXT, I could see the NXT Tag Team Champions, Chase University (Andre Chase and Ridge Holland), on television and running their mouths with an open challenge, only to have The Lucha Bros come out to answer the challenge. If it’s on the main roster, it’ll just be another match against one of the top heel teams, depending on if the Lucha Bros are faces or heels.

Who is the one wrestler, past or present, who was never (or has not yet been) a World Champion who you think should have been, or should be in the future? Or both.

Heath Slater. It’s the 3MB curse. Both Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal were Heath’s partners in the 3MB faction. Both were fired by WWE and then came back to be the World Champion. And now, it should be Heath’s turn. Even if it’s just for a week, Heath is good enough and deserves the honor. Give the dude a break. He’s got kids.

Do you think Seth Rollins returned to the ring too soon after Wrestlemania? We all knew he was working through an injury and would take time off. I was shocked when he returned before MITB.

Seth came back to mainly work a referee role and some limited appearances, but his in-ring time has been limited since his return. He played the good soldier and now, he’s taking some time off to heal and spend some time with his family. It may have been early, but WWE protected him, and no harm was done. Now he can recover and rest and come back when he’s ready.

Book the perfect WWE debut for Kenny Omega!

I doubt that we’ll ever see Omega in WWE since I just found out that when he had his surgery for diverticulitis. , he had a large piece of his colon removed. Given that, I doubt he’d be able to be medically cleared for a full-time return to wrestling, much less WWE. But let’s play Devil’s advocate and say he does recover enough to make a full-time return. I’d either have his debut at the Royal Rumble or else show up in the audience at a WWE event and ambush one of the top guys, most likely Seth or Randy Orton.

With most of the main titles not swapping hands till at least Mania, how does the Fed keep it interesting going forward if you already know the person won’t be dropping the title?

Just keep the stories strong and the matches good and solid. If it’s good, the fans will come and the audience will stick around.

Do you think Gunther’s reign will be as good as his Intercontinental title run?

I don’t think it will last nearly as long as his Intercontinental Championship reign, but I have faith that Gunther will do well as the World Champion and have an exciting reign as the champ.

Which wrestler would you most like to have an autobiography for?

I would love for Lisa Moretti, aka Ivory, to write an autobiography. From being part of GLOW to being a WWE superstar, including working as an announcer and trainer, she has a story to tell. I’d also like to see a biography about the late Johnny Weaver. His life as a wrestler and booker, plus his marriage to Penny Banner, would make for a great subject. And what about the Death Match King/Indy God, Matt Cardona? All the years in the WWE, and then his transition to the hottest Indy star of the past twenty years, that would make for an amazing read.

Do you think a prime Bret Hart would do better in a modern-day WWE or AEW?

In the ring, Bret would do well. As a character and promo guy, I don’t think he’d do quite as well and would probably be upper mid-card at best. I can’t see a long reign as the champion in today’s WWE, but he would have a solid and successful career.

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 it up. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for the power of the punch and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!