Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Paul Heyman, AJ Styles, Wrestling Venues & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

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

What is your favorite wrestling venue?

For me, it will always be the Dorton Arena in Raleigh, NC. As a child, I used to attend shows there regularly with my older brother and sister. A unique atmosphere that played host every Tuesday night to the best wrestling of the time as presented by Jim Crockett Promotions. And it’s still being used today. Just a great place with some fantastic memories attached.

As a creator who covers wrestling, did you ever consider going to wrestling training to get an understanding of wrestling better?

I have been in the ring before playing around with friends who wrestle, but I never seriously thought about doing it professionally. I don’t like pain that much and those bumps hurt. But I have been in the locker rooms many times, helping lay out matches, writing promos, and offering suggestions when asked. I think I’ve developed a good knowledge of the business and all it entails. Plus, my former roommate was a wrestler and I would travel to shows with him regularly, getting to know many incredible people in the business. I think, as a result of all of this, my understanding is pretty sufficient for what I do here.

If you could choose a wrestler (past, present, or both) to be able to retire as Sting did with a win instead of the traditional on-their-back way, who do you think deserves it the most?

The first name that came to mind was AJ Styles. He’s currently out with an injury and may not be able to come back to WWE, but if he can return for one last match, I’d love to see him get the huge build for the final match and score a huge victory on the way out the door. He is deserving.

I don’t care about TV ratings but I find the dead AEW crowds have a detrimental effect on the TV product. What is the solution? Is it as simple as booking smaller venues, or maybe a residency like they did for Collison?

Smaller venues are a possible solution and it seems AEW is making that move for upcoming live events in 2025. But that’s just a band-aid to a larger problem. AEW needs to improve its product and make it fun to watch again. If the show is good, the crowd will be excited and act accordingly. If the show sucks, the crowd will also act accordingly and be listless and bored. And as you noted, a good, excited crowd can make all the difference.

What do you think about Triple H giving long title reigns to his World Champs? Is it making the titles feel more prestigious? Or does it make fans lose interest in the Champion’s characters?

A long reign seems better to me if the Champion is kept strong and booked accordingly. Regular defenses, good promos, and a strong character make the difference. While hot-shotting a title is sometimes a necessary evil and can serve a purpose, I think the longer reigns add prestige and dignity to the championship belts.

How would you book Paul Heyman’s return?

I’d have Heyman show up on the Smackdown go-home show and speak to Roman and the OG Bloodline. He says that he has a solution and he’ll see them tomorrow at the PLE before leaving. And then, the next night, at the Survivor Series, Heyman shows up with his solution to the need for a fifth man. He comes to the ring and brings with him The Best in the World, CM Punk.

Who would you pick to dethrone Jon Moxley as AEW World Champion, not including Orange Cassidy or Darby Allin?

If it’s not Cassidy or Darby, I’d go with the former Champion, Swerve Strickland. Strickland’s stock has fallen quite a bit over the past few weeks so a title win would work wonders in getting him back up to main event status. Then Swerve can feud with Lashley and the Hurt Syndicate over the belt while Moxley goes off to do whatever it is that he does, maybe a feud with Claudio.

What if AEW and WWE had a super show? Who do you think would be the main event?

If it were to happen today, given the current stories and developments in both AEW and WWE, I think it would be Cody Rhodes versus Jon Moxley as the main event.

Rank these wrestlers in order as to who will be a World Champion first. Austin Theory, Bron Breaker, Dominik Mysterio, Ilja Dragonov, and Julius Creed.

Of these choices, I feel that the order in which they will be World Champions is probably as follows. Breakker will be the first man to win the big one, while Theory will be the next in line. Dragonov will be the next, but it will have to be a title for a secondary promotion such as TNA or MLW since he’s not with WWE anymore. Then we have Dominik and finally Creed.

If you could take any classic gimmick from the past and give it to a modern wrestler, what combo would be the best?

How about slipping Daniel Garcia into a polyester suit and presenting him as a modern version of the Disco Inferno? Garcia already has the bad dancing part down pat. Or more seriously, give someone like Angel Garza a model-like character, playing up the better-than-you routine as an updated version of The Model Rick Martel. That would work too.

And there you go. It may not seem like it, but we’re getting the backlog worked down. 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 this up. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!