Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Penta, Paul Heyman, Jeff Hardy & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

This is the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. I’m your Guiding Light, Doug. Let’s do this.

What do you think about Penta’s debut being delayed? Do you think it was best for business?

I can see why the debut was put off for a week. There was a lot going on at RAW, and between The Rock, The Undertaker, Rhea’s title win, and Punk’s victory over Seth, the debut of a luchador would have been overshadowed by everything else going on. I’m wondering why they switched it from a tag match with Rey to a singles match with Chad Gable next week. A singles match will be more impressive and make more sense for a debut, but no explanation for the switch as of yet. I guess we’ll find out more on Friday on Smackdown.

Do you think WWE will keep the championship title on Tiffany Stratton long? Who should be her first challenger?

I’m hoping Tiffany will hold the belt at least until WrestleMania. As for the first challenger, I think that once Nia Jax is out of the picture, Bianca Belair will probably have the first crack. She’s the most obvious choice.

Did you like Sgt. Slaughter better as a heel or as a babyface?

A heel. I was fortunate enough to see Slaughter in the NWA working for Crockett and that was arguably some of the best work of his career. The WWE and AWA stuff pales in comparison in my opinion. He was a great heel and everything afterward just seemed forced and fake. The Sarge and Privates Kernodle and Nelson was a great time for fans of the Slaughter. That version in WWE or AWA would have been much better than the watered-down version we ended up with.

If the two WrestleMania main events are Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena & CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns, would you be happy?

I wouldn’t cry or complain about it. Those are two solid and strong main-event matches.

Do you think Paul Heyman is the greatest manager of all time?

The greatest of all time? With names like Cornette, Heenan, Dillon, Woman, Jimmy Hart, Gary Hart, Blassie, Albano, Sir Oliver Humperdink, etc., all out there, deciding who is the very best or the greatest is a complicated matter. But Heyman is certainly in the argument and would be in my Top 5.

Describe Hulk Hogan with only one word.

Legend!

Do you think Jeff Hardy could have surpassed John Cena’s fame if he had made different choices earlier in his career?

What Jeff seems to forget is that he was pushed as a main event guy by both WWE and TNA. He had a great career. If he had made different choices in his life, it may have been even better. But beating Cena? Cena is a rare breed and only comes around once in a lifetime. I think Cena is more versatile and marketable to the masses than Hardy ever was. Jeff would have done well but to the level of Cena? I can’t see it.

Oba Femi versus Sid Vicious. Who wins?

Sid ruled the world, but I think Femi would take him to the limit and beyond. This dude is a monster and very impressive. This would be a good big-man match. I think Femi would win.

With the recent announcer changes in WWE, Corey Graves is going to NXT. Thoughts?

Graves did commentary for New Year’s Evil, but I have yet to see any mention of this being a long-term assignment in NXT. WWE is playing musical chairs with their commentators, but I don’t think Graves will be ignored. They’ll find a place for him on the main roster. He’s too good to be forgotten.

If Tony Khan weren’t the son of a billionaire, he would not be promoting and booking pro wrestling, true or false?

If Tony was named Tony Smith, he might still be booking an Indy company or doing fantasy wrestling. But so far as running and booking a company like AEW, it never would have happened. He’s not that good or talented.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Drop me a line at Doug28352@yahoo.com. And with that, we’re through here. Stay well, my friends. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!