Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
NJPW, Booking Cena/Cody at Mania, Alba Fyre & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Before I get to the questions, I saw this posted in one of my Facebook groups about a possible scenario for WrestleMania. And I think it’s some clever, albeit Vince Russo-style, booking. What do you think?

Just Imagine!!

What if John Cena vs Cody Rhodes is in the final stages at WrestleMania 41? Both men are almost out and have no strength left. Suddenly, music hits – “You can look but you can’t Touch”, it’s Nikki Bella, it’s Nikki Bella!!!
She has tears in her eyes as she says sorry for whatever happened in the past to heel John Cena. John melts and at that time, Nikki looks at Cody and smiles. Cody is smiling, and Nikki hits a low blow to Cena. Cody hits Cross Rhodes and pins Cena. Cody retains the Undisputed Championship at WrestleMania thanks to his old friend Nikki Bella!

I like it. It blends story with reality, and since Nikki and her sister once accompanied Cody, back in his “Dashing” days, to the ring, there’s relevant history and some long-term storytelling. I think it’s creative booking anyhow. Let me know what you think. And now, on to the questions.

New Japan Pro Wrestling canceled an event at Korakuen Hall at the last minute for “a fault with the ring”. Thoughts?

New Japan is the largest wrestling promotion in Japan, but they don’t have a spare ring. Something about this doesn’t make sense. Korakuen Hall is like the MSG of Tokyo, and New Japan cancels an event on the same day. And their excuse is a fault with the ring. It doesn’t pass the smell test and something isn’t right. I’m interested in seeing how this plays out. Something just isn’t right.

Ivan Koloff versus Rey Mysterio. Who wins?

As great as Rey is, he’s not The Russian Bear. Uncle Ivan wins.

Should The Rock replace Triple H as the head of WWE Creative?

With his career in Hollywood, the football team, and his numerous other ventures, would The Rock have the time for the job? No, he wouldn’t. And I doubt he could do it either. The Rock has some good ideas for the main event, but could he come up with ideas for Punk, Drew, Chelsea, Charlotte, Pete Dunne, and the rest of the roster as well? I seriously doubt it.

What happened to professional wrestling managers? I miss the old days of Heenan, Cornette, Captain Lou, Blassie, etc.

The wrestlers of the old days’ primary function was to serve as the mouthpiece of the wrestlers who couldn’t talk or do a promo. Most wrestlers now can talk and do a promo. And thus, the managers aren’t considered as important as they once were. It sucks because I always felt they added a great deal to the stories and characters. With the right manager, even the worst of wrestlers had a shot at success. Luckily, they seem to be making a comeback of sorts. I hope so, anyhow.

Bully Ray: “Travis Scott Deserves To Have His Jaw Shattered And Wired Shut”. Thought?

Cody definitely owes Travis Scott a receipt. That’s for sure. While BullyRay might be overdoing it a bit, I agree with the sentiment. Scott screwed up badly and actions have consequences.

Alba Fyre has seemingly aligned herself with Chelsea Green. Thoughts?

Fyre is a talented woman who has never really had the chance to be featured on the main roster. She’s still relatively unknown, but this is her big break and opportunity to be exposed to the WWE Universe. Being aligned with Chelsea and Piper is a great opportunity for Fyre. Now, we get to see what she can really do.

Who are your top 5 female wrestlers of all time?

For me, the ladies I have the most love for as professional wrestlers are Ivory, Asuka, Sherri Martel, Victoria, and a tie between Ann Casey/Penny Banner.

According to Meltzer, The plan was for John Cena’s heel turn alongside The Rock to be saved for the WrestleMania main event. However, the decision was made on the day of the Elimination Chamber to do it there instead. Thoughts?

Even the Rock’s writer, Brian Gerwitz, has disputed this claim. It’s Meltzer so anything he reports has to be taken with a grain of salt. While the story might have been rushed a bit in its presentation, I’m sure that the planning and details were worked out long before the day of the event.

Mike Johnson at PWInsider has been saying for months that Jade Cargill was not injured during her time away from WWE TV. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com says, If she wasn’t injured, they worked the creative team, the medical team, the PC staff, all her closest friends and coworkers, and the people involved in the storyline. So, who’s right?

Mike Johnson has a much better track record for accuracy and honesty than Sapp. I have much more faith in Johnson, a real journalist, than the egotistical ass clown that is Sean Ross Sapp. I would side with Johnson on this.

Do you miss seeing Brock Lesnar on WWE television?

Say what you will about The Beast, but anytime he’s on TV or in the ring, he’s exciting and fun to watch. I’d love to see Brock come back to WWE and unleash some havoc again. Yeah, I miss him.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and 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!