Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Tony Khan & 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.

Who’s the perfect man to retire CM Punk in the future?

The future is probably a good 5-6 years away, barring a serious injury, so it’s hard to pick someone this early in the game. But, I’m sure the person who does it will be a Paul Heyman guy. Maybe Jack Perry?

What do you think Cody’s vision was for AEW? It’s been noted a couple of times that he and Tony had different visions for the company, and it was part of the reason for the split, but it sounds like NDAs might keep us from ever knowing.

Given who Cody’s father was, I would assume he wants a company based on solid characters and good storytelling, while Tony prefers all of the stories to be told in the ring as matches. I’m speculating, of course, but that would be my guess.

As someone who mainly watches AEW, I mostly feel that they don’t do enough to elevate moments/matches as huge deals. WWE makes a bigger deal out of less AND inferior stuff. How can AEW improve on this?

Build to the matches with storytelling and purpose rather than just throwing matches out there for the sake of having a match. It truly would make all the difference.

Who is on the Mount Rushmore for Women’s wrestling?

This is tough, but I’d go with Fabulous Moolah, Madusa, Sherri Martel, and Trish Stratus.

In their prime, who wins? Goldberg or Roman Reigns?

Goldberg was never good at going longer than ten to fifteen minutes in a match, while Roman works more methodically, but can last far longer. I think Roman should win.

All-time best commentators?

This all boils down to what you want to hear, the professionalism, and the authenticity that the commentator brings. My list would include Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Rich Landrum, Gordon Solie, and Joey Styles.

As Tony Khan gets older, do you worry about him losing touch with what’s popular with the wrestling world and becoming more insular?

One would have to have been in touch to lose touch, and I don’t think Tony has ever really known what the average wrestling fan wants. But in all honesty, I worry more about Tony getting burned out. He burns the candle on both ends with AEW, and has very little help, being a micromanager. He’s been doing it for 5 years now, plus he also has his responsibilities with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the UK Soccer Team. It’s a gruesome pace, and he’s been doing it for a long time. Tony isn’t Superman, and eventually, it will all catch up with him. And then what happens to AEW? That’s what everyone should be worried about.

Genuinely, what is the ceiling for Rusev, Aleister Black in WWE, and Ricochet in AEW? I don’t see them going past the mid-card title run.

And I agree. All three men that you mentioned, I don’t see ever being the World Champion. They’re all talented wrestlers, but unless a miracle happens, they’re all mid-card for life at the very best.

Would you rather the Death Riders story continues for another 12 months, or Matt Hardy jumps back to AEW and has a 6-month world title reign?

I’ve always been a fan of Matt Hardy, and I’d love to see him have a run as a World Champion. That would be my choice.

CM Punk has been removed from the advertising for the WWE Night of Champions event in Saudi Arabia. Thoughts?

Given Punk’s past comments about the Saudi events and it being “blood money”, this isn’t a surprise. It seemed like Punk was on board for this event, but I suspect that someone, either in WWE Management or part of the Saudi government, took note and vetoed the idea. We’ll probably learn more as we get closer to the show.

Dafney’s daughter refused to participate in an episode of Dark Side of the Ring about her mother. Thoughts?

Dafney Unger died by suicide. Can anyone blame her daughter for not wanting to relive those moments and the story of her death again? I know I wouldn’t.

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!