Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Female Announcers, Managers & Tony Khan
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

I’m Doug and this is a trying to calm my nerves edition of the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. I really just want to smack someone, repeatedly. Let’s tackle a few questions instead.

You’re starting your own company so which three wrestlers would you start it with? Every era is available.

Three wrestlers from any era to start a new promotion? I think I’d go with Kevin Sullivan, Jim Cornette, and, in his prime, Ric Flair.

Do you think Tony Khan will ever put the belt back on Hangman and/or see him as a top guy?

I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Hangman Adam Page as AEW Champion. Once Tony remembers about Page being on the roster if a situation comes up and Tony needs someone to go to quickly, if Moxley isn’t available, Page could very well be his go-to guy.

Who do you think will stop booking their respective shows first, Triple H or Tony Khan? And who could you see taking over after them?

I think Tony will burn out and quit before Triple H does. Tony is writing for three shows and PPVs, plus working a full-time job with his dad’s football team. From all reports, he regularly works 14-16 hour days and gets very little, if any, rest. Even the most stable of minds can only go so long before it catches up and takes its toll. Triple H knows how to delegate responsibilities and be a boss. Tony takes it all on himself and does everything. At the rate he’s going, he can’t last much longer.

When do you think the major US promotions will have at least one non-male voice on commentary? Not a guest wrestler, but an actual full-time commentator?

WWE had Renee Young on RAW so it has been done. Beth Phoenix was a regular commentator as part of NXT, while Velvet Sky was a commentator for the NWA for nearly three years. So it has been done. And when the right female comes along, they’ll do it again.

Is Jon Moxley the new Ric Flair? I mean, they seem to trust him with the big belt anytime they need a steady hand on the rudder as WCW did with Ric. Do you think Mox would appreciate the comparison?

On his best days, Moxley is not in the same conversation as Ric Flair. He may be AEW and Tony’s go-to guy, but he’s not Ric Flair. Moxley should appreciate the comparison, but he’s not worthy of it.

Do you see Vince’s “entertainment” company turning into a wrestling company?

No, I don’t think Vince will tackle wrestling again. He’s already done everything there is to do with wrestling. The new company is supposedly for movies, television, and potential podcasts. Vince is bored and looking for new challenges. Wrestling is old news. Vince is moving on.

What are your thoughts on a Jey Uso heel turn at War Games to get back at Roman?

That would be an interesting twist and another swerve for the Bloodline story. I don’t think we’ll see it happen, but it would make for some interesting moments.

If Kenny Omega could face 5 WWE wrestlers and Roman Reigns could face 5 AEW wrestlers, who would your picks be and why?

For Omega, I’d have him face Seth Rollins, Damian Priest, Drew McIntyre, Austin Theory, and Gunther. As for Roman, I’d have him wrestle MJF, Wardlow, Swerve Strickland, Samoa Joe, and Will Ospreay.

Name 3 classic Wrestlers who you’d like to see come back today in their prime as free agents – where would you want to see them sign, and who would you want them to feud with?

Barry Windham, as part of WWE, and facing Damian Priest. That would be a good match. The Midnight Express w/ Jim Cornette, in AEW, taking on FTR. And finally, how about Sting signing with WWE and feuding with Undertaker?

Should there be more managers in wrestling? I think guys like Bronson Reed can benefit from a manager. Also, get Zelina Vega back with Andrade.

I’ve always enjoyed the managers, but I don’t want to overflow the market with too many of the wrong ones. Three or four good managers working in WWE would be just about right. As you suggested, guys like Bronson Reed, The New Day, Baron Corbin, and so many others would benefit from a charismatic and strong manager. Too many, like AEW had a few years ago with every old-timer showing up with a client weakens the product and makes the concept of a manager matter less. Managers serve a very important function in wrestling, but it has to be the right man or woman to make it work right. And yes, Zelina was awesome. As the manager of Andrade, Theory, and Angel Garza, she was excellent and it worked. I’d love to see her revisit that role.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Questions, comments, and thoughts are welcome and appreciated. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe. And with that, let’s wrap things up. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!