Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Drew McIntyre, RoddyPiper, Lanny Poffo & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

I’m Doug. Happy New Year. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Let’s get ready and do this.

Are you a fan of Pat McAfee on commentary?

I am. While McAfee isn’t great at calling armlocks and body slams, he’s entertaining and has great chemistry with Michael Cole. Compared to the same old from most color commentators, Pat is refreshing and unique in his delivery. I like the energy he brings.

Who had a better 2024 than Drew McIntyre?

CM Punk? Drew had an amazing year and although he won and lost the World Championship and came out on the losing end of the feud with Punk, Drew looks stronger than ever and has really cemented his status as a top heel in WWE. He came out of 2024 stronger than he went into it.

Announcer Kevin Kelly says he’s open to coming back to WWE for a one-shot interview with The Rock. Would you like to see Kelly back in WWE?

Kevin Kelly is a decent interviewer and announcer, but WWE has plenty of people already in their employ who are just as good and can conduct any interviews as needed. Kelly is decent, but I don’t see a place for him in today’s WWE.

Are you excited about AEW’s move to MAX and what it means for wrestling fans?

I am. This will make it far easier to watch AEW’s programming and follow the product without having to sit in front of the TV at a regular time, plus streaming means I can fast-forward past the stupid stuff.

Who would you like to see Adam Copeland face in his final match? Should it happen in AEW or WWE?

I’d rather see it happen in WWE, but I doubt that it’ll work out that way. As for who, Christian Cage would be perfect, but Matt Hardy would be, for obvious reasons, great too.

Do you want to see Joe Hendry make a WWE RAW appearance when it moves to Netflix?

I believe in Joe Hendry and I’d love to see the reaction he would get by showing up on RAW.

If Roddy Piper and Rick Steamboat had stayed with Jim Crockett Promotions from 1984 – 1987, could JCP have won the ’80s wrestling wars against Vince and WWF?

Even if Piper and Steamboat had stayed with Crockett, it wouldn’t have helped. The quality of talent Crockett had was never lacking, but Crockett was trying to expand into territories where he had never been before, was buying up territories, and spending millions of dollars for foolish purposes. Vince just used better business tactics, and followed his plan, albeit ruthlessly, while Crockett and Dusty were bankrupting their own company.

Speaking of Piper, would Roddy have been a great NWA Champion?

I’m torn on this because while Piper, who was arguably the best heel in the business during his NWA days, was amazing in so many ways, I just can’t see him as a long-term, traveling NWA Champion. He had the ability for sure, both in the ring and on the stick, but I just have the feeling that the NWA Championship would have held Piper down and have been more of a hindrance than a positive for the Rowdy One. He didn’t need it.

Should the feud with Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley be stretched out to WrestleMania or should it come to an end sooner so Rhea and Liv can work against someone else?

We have four months before WrestleMania and that’s a long time to keep this going. As great as Rhea & Liv have been, they’re not The Bloodline or CM Punk/Drew McIntyre. I think that on Monday night, and then at the Royal Rumble, it’s time to bring this all to a close and nip it in the bud. Unless something with an injury or Dom happens, enough is enough. Rhea gets her belt back and everyone moves on.

What are your thoughts on The Genius, Lanny Poffo?

Lanny was a good worker, a good talker, very flexible if the stories were true and very underrated. Poffo had a great character in The Genius. I truly enjoyed the partnership between him and Mr. Perfect, aka Curt Hennig. Lanny’s biggest problem was that he lived in the shadow of his brother, Randy Savage. But Poffo was one of the good ones.

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, we’re through here. Stay well and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!