Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Barry Darsow, The Rock, Brock Lesnar & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

I’m Doug and I can’t sleep. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Are you ready? Let’s do this.

Maria Kanellis is finished with AEW. Her last day was January 31. Should WWE or TNA reach out to her? Thoughts?

I’ve always liked Maria, but to be honest, what does she have to offer either WWE or TNA? She spent the majority of her time in WWE pregnant, and the majority of her time in AEW/ROH injured. The cons far outweigh the pros where Maria is concerned. I don’t see why any major company would want or need her.

Saraya’s deal with AEW expires in September. Would you be interested in seeing her return to WWE?

Much like Maria, Saraya doesn’t have much to offer the WWE at this point. She’s lost any name value she once had via her time in AEW, and her in-ring skills, based on her last few outings, have greatly declined. She can’t wrestle and her promo skills are only average. If AEW doesn’t offer to renew her, I think a life of Indys and signings will be her most likely future.

Both Nikki Bella and Mick Foley have been spotted at the WWE Motel in Indianapolis. Do you think either of them will appear in the Royal Rumble matches?

Mick? We may get a spotting as he sits as ringside, but I doubt we’ll see more than that. Nikki? I think she’ll be in the Rumble match as a surprise.

Should Barry Darsow enter the Royal Rumble as Repo Man, Smash, The Blacktop Bully, and Mr. Hole in One, breaking Mick Foley’s record in the process?

That would be a cool spot, except it would take away four spots in the Rumble that should belong to other, more deserving wrestlers, let’s be honest. Apart from the Repo Man, would today’s fans even know who the other three characters are? No, I don’t think they would.

Scenario: you’re starting a wrestling company and have all your stars. But you need a right-hand person, you have one position and two applications. Paul Heyman and Bobby Heenan. Who are you going for?

This one is simple. Bobby Heenan was a great manager, a great commentator, and a true wrestling legend, but he’s never been known for creating stories or being a booker or management. The other option is Paul Heyman. I’d pick Paul Heyman.

Is Karion Kross a contender for a major title this year?

I think this year, we will see Kross with the big push and wearing WWE gold in some capacity. It’s just a matter of time.

Barry Windham & Arn Anderson versus Doug Somers & Playboy Buddy Rose. Who wins?

Two great teams who are often overlooked when talking about great teams of the ’80s, but with Windham and Arn as part of the Horsemen, while Rose & Somers were the AWA Tag Team Champions, neither team can be underestimated nor should they take a backseat to anyone. This would be one hell of a match. As for the winners, Arn & Barry had the Horsemen. Somers & Rose had Sherri Martel as their manager. I’d go with Rose and Somers for the win.

My favorite shenanigan Royal Rumble idea going around is The Rock being number 31 because he’s a member of the board and controls things.
That’s really smart and really clever even if it’s nothing more than fantasy booking. Would you like to see this happen?

I would love to see this happen, so long as The Rock still was eliminated from the Rumble and didn’t win. It would make for a great and memorable moment.

Name the coolest wrestlers you have met in person.

Obviously, Michael Youngblood and Ethan Storm. Michael is like a little brother to me, absolute family, while Storm was my boss for ten years and is one of the best people I know. But of wrestlers who are more well-known, Baby Doll, Ann Casey, Penny Banner, and Brian Adams are the first names that come to mind. All are friendly and respectful, and three of them became good friends.

After his name has now been mentioned in the Janel Grant lawsuit, should WWE permanently erase Brock Lesnar from the company?

Erase from the history? No. Brock has not been accused of anything illegal and if you read the amended lawsuit, never actually did anything with Grant. Now that his name has been mentioned, I expect he’ll remain persona non grata for a while longer, but he’s too big a part of the WWE and its history to erase or ignore completely.

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, let’s wrap it up. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!