Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Samantha Irvin, Baby Doll, Chris Jericho & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Greetings. My name is Doug, your resident Guiding Light, and this is the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. YOu have questions? I have answers. Are you ready? Let’s do this.

Samantha Irvin says on IG that her goal was to be a manager or maybe a GM. She didn’t like ring announcing. Thoughts?

Irvin might not have liked ring announcing, but she was good at it. It’s too bad that she had other aspirations, but once WWE decides on a certain role for someone, it’s hard to change their mind. I don’t see her as a managerial type, and as for the GM spot, not everyone has a daddy to help out with job positioning. I hate that she didn’t like her job in the WWE. Maybe she’ll be happier now that she’s out of the company.

Allegedly, Naomi is the current favorite to win the 2025 Women’s Royal Rumble. Thoughts?

I hope not. Naomi just isn’t that good and I can’t see her as one of the main events for Wrestlemania. Since her return from TNA, she’s slowed down and gotten more sloppy if that’s possible. Plus she’s added on some extra weight. I just don’t see this happening.

Does Lance Archer & Brian Cage make a good team?

Where is Captain Lou Albano when you need him? Cage & Archer should be a very good monster-style tag team and run dominance all over the AEW Tag Team Division. But considering who their manager is, plus who the current tag team champions are, they’ll work for maybe a month and then vanish into AEW limbo, becoming little more than extras and job guys. Watch and see.

Has Anna Jay improved?

Compared to how she was a year ago, Anna Jay has stepped up her game and gotten better. The trips to Stardom in Japan have helped. I still wouldn’t consider her one of the greats, but she’s much better than she was.

Was Baby Doll better as a face with Dusty & Magnum or as a heel with Tully & Zbyszko?

Considering how awesome Baby Doll has been on the few occasions I’ve met her in person, I almost hate to say this. Babyface Baby Doll, working with Dusty and Magnum was okay, but kind of ‘eh at best. Baby Doll as Tully’s Perfect 10, or standing side by side with Larry Zbyszko and the infamous Manilla Envelope, threatening to expose Dusty Rhodes, that was when she shined the most. The nicest people make the best heels and Baby Doll is absolute proof of that.

Austin Idol versus Bret Hart. Who wins?

Idol was a good wrestler and very underrated. His character could always incite a crowd and I don’t recall ever seeing a bad Idol match. That being said, Bret is a great in-ring performer and while not of my taste, was a walking wrestling encyclopedia. It’d be a great match, but Bret would win and take that trip to the pay window.

Chris Jericho defeated Mark Briscoe and is now the new ROH Champion. Thoughts?

It has to make you wonder what kind of hold that Jericho has over Tony Khan. Mark Briscoe represents ROH to so many people and then he loses the belt to Jericho? I guess that Jericho is just resume-padding and I hope that when we get a rematch, Briscoe takes his belt back strongly and convincingly. This title switch though? It makes no sense to me.

The Hardys are the TNA Tag Team Champions again. Thoughts?

Congratulations to Matt & Jeff for another notch of greatness in their belts. Matt & Jeff are getting older and Father Time is taking its toll, but when necessary, they can still turn it up and have a good match. They proved that at the TNA PPV. I don’t expect we’ll see a long reign as the Champions but seeing that match and seeing Matt & Jeff win, actually put a smile on my face. Usually, I’m not a huge Hardy fan, but this time, it just felt right.

Masha Slamovich is the new TNA Knockouts Champion. Thoughts?

The name still kills me. It sounds like a Vince McMahon creation from the Rock & Wrestling Connection days. But Masha is a good wrestler and the fans like her. She’s worthy of being the new Knockouts Champion and I expect we’ll see plenty of good things from her in the months to come.

JBL showed up at TNA and gave Frankie Kazarian & Joe Hendry clotheslines from hell. He also attacked Ryan Nemeth. Thoughts?

JBL also did something similar at MLW and in Mexico. And now, it’s been announced that he’s the new co-owner of AAA in Mexico, although I believe it’s a kayfabe announcement. I guess that like most retired wrestlers, JBL is getting the itch and wants one more match, preferably on his own terms. And now, he’s planting the seeds for that final match. We’ll just have to keep watching and see how all of this goes.

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. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!