Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Gunther, AEW on Max, Becky Lynch & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Welcome to the show. It’s the only pro wrestling Q&A that matters. You have questions and I have answers. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. I’m Doug, your party host and Guiding Light. Are you ready? Let’s do this.

I think Paul Levesque needs a little help with his booking. Maybe from somebody with more experience. Who would you recommend?

The two most obvious choices wouldn’t be able to do it. Jim Cornette has his own empire to run, while Dutch Mantell has medical issues to deal with. I’d say, listen to Paul Heyman more often, bring in Gail Kim, and maybe contact a guy in Laurinburg, NC with an opinion on everything, me. I’ll gather up Ethan Storm, Michael Youngblood, and Derk Douglas, and we can lend Triple H our sage advice as well.

Thoughts on Gunther bloodying Jimmy Uso on RAW? Too much? Yes or no?

It was perfect and old-school booking at it’s best. It made Gunther look like an absolute monster, but gave Jey a reason to find himself and fight. It gives Jey that sympathetic mojo and brings the build for their match at WrestleMania back to where it should be. A job well done by Jey, Gunther, Jimmy, and all of WWE.

Carmella recently revealed that she pitched working with Pretty Deadly. Would you have liked to see Carmella and Pretty Deadly together?

The Long Island Princess teamed up with Pretty Deadly. That would work for me and would have been fun to see. Too bad it never happened.

Layla recently announced she’ll be doing a ‘LayTalk’ podcast, with an emphasis on talking to other former WWE Divas. Thoughts?

Everyone has a podcast so what’s one more? Layla, the former WWE Diva, is an interesting choice to get into the field, but it could be interesting. When it comes out, I’ll probably try to give it a listen and form an opinion.

Since debuting on Max, AEW “Dynamite” has averaged more than a million viewers combined according to a recent report. Do you think this report is true?

Considering that the only one talking about these numbers is Uncle Dave, I don’t have much faith in their credibility. All I know is that when I go to Max, AEW is never listed in the Top Ten of anything and to find the product, I have to enter it on the Search Bar, despite having watched several episodes of AEW Dynamite on Max already. With RAW on Netflix, it automatically pops up on the screen, but AEW and Max make it an effort. Stuff like that does not bode well for the casual viewer on Max.

The Rhea versus Iyo match on RAW ended in a double disqualification. Does this mean Rhea gets added to the Bianca versus Iyo match at Mania or is there a different solution?

Rhea will be added to the match and we’re getting a three-way dance at Mania. Long live Mami!

Do you prefer WWE segments that feel unscripted, or do you think they should keep tight control over the storytelling?

Scripted promos suck. Give bullet points to the talent that can talk. Give managers or advocates to the talent that can’t promo very well. Keep it casual and as real as possible. And it will all work out for the best.

Do you think we are too close to WrestleMania to try to put Becky Lynch in the mix?

We have less than three weeks to go until Mania. It’s too late to just throw Becky in there and have it mean anything. I suspect we’ll see The Man make her impact during Mania itself or on the RAW immediately afterward.

Michael Cole and Pat McAfee will host this year’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Thoughts?

Michael Cole and Pat McAfee are a good announce team, but they’re getting overexposed far too often. The WWE Hall of Fame event should be a special moment with someone besides the same two announcers we see every week. Corey Graves would be better in this role, or hell, how about The Miz? Miz has been with the company for over twenty years and is easily one of the best talkers the WWE has under contract. It’s the closest person they have that compares to Jerry Lawler, the former host of this event. I’d go with either the team of Corey Graves & Lilian Garcia, or The Miz. It would be awesome.

Debra, Chyna, and Sable versus Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley, and Tiffany Stratton. Who wins?

Debra was never a trained wrestler. Sable was only so-so at best, and Chyna was a great character, but very overrated inside that ring. Liv, Rhea, and Tiffany are all excellent wrestlers. Liv & Mami would be having a Tiffy Time celebration at the end of this match. Liv, Rhea, and Tiffany win.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and questions are welcome and appreciated. Reach me by e-mail at Doug28352@yahoo.com or on X at @Doug28352. 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!