Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Toni Storm, David McLane, Hulk Hogan & 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.

What do you think of the new Hulk Hogan’s Real American Freestyle promotion?

I honestly haven’t looked into it enough to have an opinion. It’s a new project by Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, but with Hogan involved, my interest level goes automatically to zero. If it were just a Bischoff project, I’d be more interested, but with the Hogan involvement, I automatically assume it’ll be around about as long as PastaMania and don’t care.

Thoughts on AEW running shows at the old ECW Arena in Philadelphia?

It sounds like a good move. The ECW Arena has a history of wild wrestling and a strong fanbase, so AEW can use this to generate some major buzz and get some good crowds for their product. Businesswise, this makes great sense. I only hope that they can live up to expectations.

According to Jim Ross in a recent interview, ‘AEW will never be mainstream with their current direction. Is JR right?

Wrestling at its very best is a niche product. And honestly, nothing that AEW is currently doing would be considered top-of-the-line with appeal to the casual fan. The hardcore fans like it and the anti-WWE crowd likes it, but to the casual fan, it’s hard to bear at times. So yes, JR is 100% correct with that opinion.

“I’m here and I’m Queer!” TimeToni Storm started off AEW Collision with this proclamation to the audience. Thoughts?

While that proclamation might be nice for the extreme fans of AEW and society, it’s going to turn off more people than it appeals to. Wrestling is for most people an escape from reality, and throwing the woke political dialogue into the picture defeats that entire purpose. Plus, having a middle-aged married woman, having recently confirmed her marriage to Juice Robinson, proclaim her queerness to start a show isn’t a great sign of appeal for the casual wrestling fan base. Hell, I’m a gay man, and it came across to me as contrived and fake as hell, so what would it say to the average baseline wrestling fan? Exactly!

With all the recent WWE releases, should Shinsuke Nakamura be worried?

I hope the 45-year-old Shinsuke hasn’t thrown away his address book for promoters and wrestling contacts. He may soon well need it.

After being unmasked, Fuego Del Sol has declared that Fuego is dead and is now wrestling under the name DJ Orso. Thoughts?

Fuego, or should I now say DJ Orso, is doing a complete rebranding and reboot of his wrestling character. Fuego, as great as that character has been, has run its course, and the man behind the mask, with the great moves, incredible personality, and Tornado DDT, is getting ahead of the curve and making the necessary adjustments and moves to keep active and further along his career. It’s a bit extreme, but I think he’ll do well in this new incarnation. DJ Orso will do just fine.

Should AEW have a Women’s Tag Team Championship title?

AEW doesn’t need any new titles. They barely have enough women to have a singles Women’s Championship, much less two, or four if you count ROH. If the roster gets larger and improves, then maybe a tag team title in the future would be welcome, but for right now, it’s not needed.

I’ve heard rumors of a meeting with Nick Khan and top officials at TKO, with more releases to come at the end of the summer. Thoughts?

WWE still has a bloated roster and far more wrestlers under contract than they could possibly need or use properly. More cuts would not surprise me at all, and in fact, I’m expecting them sooner rather than later.

Does David McLane belong in the WWE Hall of Fame?

The man who created GLOW, POWW, and essentially revolutionized the world of Women’s professional wrestling in the ’80s? Yes, I would say that McLane is worthy of a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Do you think Shotzi Blackheart was underutilized in WWE? Where would you like to see her wrestle next?

Shotzi wasn’t used as well as she probably could have been, but in all fairness, she spent a lot of time on the injury list as well, with continued leg problems. I think Shotzi is one that AEW should look at and make an offer towards. She could easily be the next Toni Storm for that promotion.

And there you go. 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!