Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Ezekiel Jackon, The Briscoe Brothers, Wrestlers Unions & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

I’m Doug and this is the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Are you ready? Let’s do this.

The War Raiders have returned. Thoughts?

I have no real thoughts to share here since I’ve never been much of a Viking/War Raiders fan. These are two big guys who have a unique look, but they just don’t stand out to me as anything special. Maybe this return will change my perception of Erik & Ivar, but I doubt it. We’ll just have to watch and see.

Ezekiel Jackson, who hasn’t wrestled since 2014, is teasing a return to the ring. Would you be interested in seeing Jackson wrestle again?

I remember Big Zeke mainly as the then-bodyguard of AJ Lee. Then he vanished and Big E was kind of worked into his spot on the roster. He was a charismatic and talented guy. Yeah, I’d be interested in seeing him give it another shot.

Mark Briscoe said recently that he and his brother Jay were supposed to debut in WWE as part of the Wyatt Family in 2013, but some tweets by his brother messed that up. Thoughts?

I’ve heard Cornette talk about the tweet that Jey Briscoe made and how everyone freaked out. Typical lefty overreactions and even though Briscoe apologized and attempted to clarify the tweet, their careers suffered some major setbacks. If I recall correctly, the tweet was a comment about a gay pride event causing Mark & Jay to be late for an ROH taping. Nothing too crazy, but it didn’t matter. People were offended. And it cost the Briscoes a run in the WWE and a chance to be part of the original Wyatt Family. It’s pure insanity and a major shame.

Should pro wrestlers have a union?

I’m torn on this one. While it would be good for wrestlers working in WWE or AEW, what would it do to the local Independent wrestling shows? Pro wrestling being unionized would totally decimate and destroy the smaller promotions and independent wrestling as we know it. It’s a mixed bag to be sure, but the cons outweigh the pros quite a bit in my opinion. Unionized wrestlers would wipe out the Independent and small-time promotions and then, where would the stars of tomorrow come from? It would kill the business as we know it.

Who had the better rivalry? Steamboat/Flair or HBK/Bret?

Flair and Steamboat had great matches that are spoken fondly of nearly 40 years later. And on a technical wrestling standpoint, their rivalry is an all-time classic. But Bret and Shawn? The heat was real, both in and out of the ring, and everything about their feud was magical. The best rivalry was Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels and it’s not even close.

Adrian Adonis versus Playboy Buddy Rose. Who wins?

Two big men who were often underestimated and despite their girth, could put on classic matches with anyone. Both were magical performers and talented, both in the ring and on the mic. It’s a tough call, but I remember the AWA version of Buddy so well. Buddy Rose would win.

Agree or disagree. The WWE Hall of Fame should be decided by fan voting.

Yes, but only to a point. Let the WWE pick their HOF class as they always have, with WWE management making the call, but in today’s world of social media and fan interaction, have one spot of the group of Inductees be determined by a fan poll. That way, the overlooked favorites get a shot, plus the WWE gets who they want as well. It’d be good for everyone.

Rhea Ripley versus Awesome Kong. Who wins?

Rhea is so good, but in her day, so was Kong. This would be an absolute banger of a match and I mean that in a good way. If they wrestled three matches, they’d split the first two with each woman getting a win. And for the third, my gut says Awesome Kong.

Jonathan Coachman recently said that he feels John Cena will win World Championship #17 because he doesn’t feel that WWE feels comfortable with Ric Flair being in the top spot of all-time champions. Is Coach right?

Given Flair’s behavior more often than not, I can easily see where Coach is coming from, and I agree. As Flair gets older, he continues to embarrass himself and professional wrestling. If I was a promoter, I wouldn’t want Flair seen as a representative of my company either, much less as the greatest of all time. Actions have consequences and given Flair’s actions over the past few years, I wouldn’t blame WWE a bit to put Cena in the top spot. He has his detractors as well, but he won’t humiliate the company.

Considering factors such as operating expenses, talent contracts, production costs, and ticket sales, do you project that AEW’s new TV deal will make the company profitable?

Without looking at the AEW books, there is no way I can decide on that. It’s all speculation. But speaking purely from a speculative view, I don’t see how AEW is turning a profit. I may be wrong, but they spend tons of money and I just don’t see the returns coming in. I’m just guessing, but unless they can get some other deals in place, improve attendance, and cut out some costs, I just can’t see them making a profit.

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 for now. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!