Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Naomi, Dino Bravo, Rude & Fernandez, and More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

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

The Mighty Igor versus Otis. Who wins?

Igor was so strong and the original simple-minded strongman. Otis is the modern-day equivalent of this character, barrel-chested and more of a big kid than anything else, but misleadingly strong and a plug of power. This would be just power versus power. It’s a tough call, but I think Igor would get the win.

Bayley has replaced Jade Cargill in the Women’s War Games match at Survivor Series. Thoughts?

WWE couldn’t have picked a better substitute, especially given the history between Bianca and Bayley. It makes sense since Bayley is the most experienced woman on the WWE roster in terms of War Games. I think it’s a good choice and I’m interested in seeing how things turn out.

The AEW Grand Slam Show coming up in Australia has been forced to change locations due to poor ticket sales. Thoughts?

AEW tried to use the big arena and the numbers just aren’t there to support that move. AEW is a declining product and the live crowds are declining, but they wanted to book the biggest arena possible in a remote area of a country on the other side of the world. If things were hot, it would still be a challenge. With things are they are now, it’s bordering on the impossible. Apart from canceling the entire tour, moving to a smaller arena is probably a good move. AEW will be losing money on this venture.

Who are the most important men’s and women’s wrestlers in WWE today? How about in AEW?

The most important men and women in WWE right now, in my opinion, are Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley. As for AEW, I would say Jon Moxley and Mercedes Mone.

Kane & Undertaker w/ Tyrus versus Batista & Mick Foley w/ Jim Cornette. Who wins?

It would be fun to see Cornette whack Tyrus across the head with his tennis racket. As for the action inside the ring, The Undertaker and Kane were a well-established tag team known as The Brothers of Destruction. Batista and Foley, to my knowledge, never teamed up. Taker and Kane would take home the victory.

Thoughts and memories of Dino Bravo?

I don’t remember much about Bravo. A strong guy in WWE with bleached hair who wasn’t much of a talker and talked a lot about being Canadian. Before that, he was in the Mid-Atlantic territory as the Canadian Heavyweight Champion and, I believe, had a feud with Ken Patera over the Mid-Atlantic title. I remember him, but more just for being there than anything else. The main thing I remember about Bravo was the way he was murdered, shot several times while in a chair, allegedly over cigarette smuggling, and alleged ties to the underworld. Bravo was a decent wrestler, but unfortunately, his life and career are overshadowed by the way he died. Sad!

Judy Bagwell versus Mother Wayne. Who wins?

(In my best Joey Styles voice) – CATFIGHT! CATFIGHT! This would be the catfight that no man would want to see. Despite formerly being half of the WCW Tag Team Champions (with Rick Steiner), Judy Bagwell was NOT a wrestler in any sense of the word. Mother Wayne has not, to my knowledge, wrestled either, but is part of The Patriarchy with Christian Cage, Kip Sabian, and son, Nick Wayne. I think the outside forces would make the difference. Judy only has son Buff in her corner, but Mother Wayne has an entire family supporting her. Mother Wayne would win.

How would you rate Rick Rude & Manny Fernandez as a tag team?

Rude and Fernandez was an odd pairing in my mind, but I remember them well, along with manager Paul Jones, they were odd, but they worked. They held the NWA World Tag Team titles for 5 months in 1986-87 and never lost the belts. There was a phantom title change with the Rock & Roll Express after Rude left the NWA to go to the WWE. But back to Rude and Manny. Both men were legit tough as hell and had strong wrestling personalities. They were a good team back then and even by today’s standards, would be one of the best in the business.

Sammy Guevera & Dustin Rhodes recently celebrated 100 Days as the ROH Tag Team Champions. Thoughts?

Truthfully, I had forgotten that Sammy and Dustin were champions. I’m a fan of both men so for me to forget that once valued title is in their hands, that’s pretty bad. I think they’ve maybe had three or four title defenses at best. And now Dustin is wrestling without a contract, while Sammy has been off TV again for several weeks. Congratulations to Sammy and Dustin for their achievement. Now, let’s just see them get out there and defend the titles and make them mean something again. Dustin and Sammy as a team have a lot of potential. They just need to prove it.

Would Naomi make a good heel?

It’d be an interesting move, but I have a hard time seeing Naomi as a bad girl. She’s not that good in my opinion. Maybe if she does a heel turn, they can put her together at some point with a heel version of The Bloodline and her husband Jimmy Uso. She might surprise me and have a dark side that we’ve never seen, but it’s just hard for me to imagine. I think Naomi will always be the fan-favorite babyface.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Use the comment box at the site or drop me a line at Doug28352@yahoo.com. Follow me on X at @Doug28352. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe. And with that, let’s wrap it up and put a lid on things. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!