Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Weddings, Naomi, Tony Atlas & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

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

Do you think the days of the wrestling wedding are done under HHH?

Nope, not at all. Wrestling weddings have always been popular with fans and a huge ratings draw for wrestling television. When it fits the story and the time is right, we’ll see them again on WWE television. I’m sure of that.

It seems like there are 10,000 wrestling books. Any biographies you wish were written that aren’t?

I’d love to see Lisa Moretti, aka Ivory write a book. With her history in GLOW, the AWA, POWW, and the WWE, you know she has some stories to tell. David Crockett could probably tell some great stories as well. And one I’d personally like to see someone tackle is the marriage of legends Johnny Weaver and Penny Banner. Banner spoke of their marriage in her great book, Banner Days, but I just feel there is so much more of the story waiting to be told.

Name a dream match for John Cena.

John Cena versus Jacob Fatu could be a good match.

Is Ricochet vs Will Ospreay, the biggest match of Ricochet’s career?

It may be getting the hype right now and be a big match for Ricochet as he starts his AEW career, but the biggest match? That match is still yet to come.

Ox Baker & Bruno Sammartino versus Terry Funk & Mick Foley. Who wins?

Looking at the other three participants, Ox Baker is just there to take the fall. I would guess that Ox makes Bruno mad. Bruno lays him out and walks from the ring. Funk and Foley sweep in for the win.

Powerhouse Hobbs has been reportedly cleared to wrestle. Who would you like to see him wrestle when he gets back into the AEW ring?

Hobbs was injured during a match against Jon Moxley so that should be his natural target upon his return. It should be, but it’s AEW so who knows if they’ll pick this story back up and finish it or not. Hobbs & Sammy Guevera could have a good feud. Hobbs versus Swerve could be fun too.

How would you rate Naomi’s WWE career since her return to the WWE from TNA?

Naomi has had a few moments to shine since returning to WWE, but her role for the majority of that time has been primarily in a mid-card, supporting role. If anything, she seems to have lost a step in the ring and isn’t quite as crisp as she once was. She’s put on some weight and slowed down. But she also sells a lot of merchandise and is popular with the fans. I think WWE is happy to have her back and she’s happy to be back among her friends and family. She’s not top-card material anymore, but she can make the occasional appearance and have some good matches to help build new talents so I expect it’s a situation that everyone is happy with.

Tony Atlas recently stated during an interview, “I didn’t like Pat because he kept grabbing my pecker in the locker room”, speaking about Pat Patterson. Thoughts?

I can see how something like that might make Atlas not like a person and if it’s true, Patterson was certainly in the wrong for doing so. This would have been in the 80s and stuff like that was far more off-putting than it would be in today’s more open-minded world. For a young, black man like Atlas, from Virginia and raised in the South, it would have been especially awkward. I tend to take a lot of things that Atlas says with a grain of salt, but saying that he didn’t like Patterson, especially after explaining why, I can truly understand and relate.

If WWE wanted to find a female talent to play a modern-day version of Nancy Benoit, aka Woman, for WWE television, who would you recommend for this role?

Let’s start by saying that Nancy Benoit’s portrayal of the Woman character was unique and magical and done in a way that only Nancy could have done. She was Woman, period. But someone to play a well-dressed, strong female character who is a leader and absolutely in charge, would be interesting to see. Looking up and down the female roster of the WWE, Sonya Deville could do it. Aalyah Gutierrez, Rey Mysterio’s daughter could probably pull off this role of this nature. And if Mandy Rose was to ever return to WWE, she could probably do it as well.

If you had the chance to sit down with five wrestling personalities to do podcast interviews, what 5 talents would you want to speak to?

Who would I want to interview and talk to? Right off the top of my head, I would say, Lisa Moretti, aka Ivory, Larry Zbyszko, Matt Cardona, Heath Slater, and Joe Hennig.

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 scoot on out of here. Take care and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!