Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Darby Allin, The Gunns, Pipe Bombs & 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.

If someone kicked out of the one-winged angel on TV without permission, would they ever be booked by any major promotion again?

It would depend on who it is, how bad it did or didn’t look, and what kind of explanation they had. But most folks would probably be okay.

Do you think Kyle Fletcher has cooled off since AEW Revolution?

Fletcher has cooled off for sure, but it’s the way AEW works. Get a push and big build for a while, and then nothing. Typical AEW booking at work.

What is a story/trope that you think is under-utilized in wrestling and could work if used today?

I always liked the old “bounty” story where the heel places a bounty on the babyface, and then we get a variety of opponents for the babyface to fight as everyone wants to claim the money. Let’s say Seth, who doesn’t like CM Punk, placed a bounty on his head. Imagine all the matches we’d get as stars from WWE, NXT, AAA, and TNA all want the money. It’s a classic story, but it works.

With AEW in Seattle next week, do you expect a Darby return? If not then, when/where?

Darby is through with Mt. Everest, and they’re in his hometown. That would be the perfect place for Darby to return and set up a match for All In: Texas.

Austin Gunn & Colton Gunn are NOT hurt but haven’t been used by AEW for months, despite being one of the most popular tag teams in AEW. Thoughts?

They’re old news in AEW right now and Tony Khan has new toys right now to play with. Despite their popularity and charisma, they’re not being used. It’s a typical procedure for AEW. Colton and Austin deserve better.

Jim Ross says that everything between him and Ric Flair is good, although he admits that he hasn’t spoken to Flair recently. Thoughts?

Ross is a gentleman and professional. He knows that a pissing match against Flair wouldn’t benefit anyone, so he’s being the better man. Good for JR.

Do you think WWE should be upset over AEW wrestlers appearing on a show hosted by The Miz?

I guess that they feel like they’re aiding the enemy and giving credibility to AEW by having the AEW stars appear with Miz. And in a way, they are. But on the other side, AEW wasn’t using these talented wrestlers, and now, Miz can put a bug in their ears about the WWE and any future possibilities without worrying about contract tampering or anything like that. I get why WWE is not happy, but there are still a few pros to this situation.

Who’s better? Corey Graves or Pat McAfee?

Pat adds energy and a big event feel. Corey adds knowledge, experience, and insight. The ideal team would be all three men together. If only one is an option, I’d prefer Corey on RAW and save Pat for the PLEs and SNME.

John Cena did his version of the Pipe Bomb on Smackdown last night. Thoughts?

It was good. Not as good as Punk’s original, but it was easily the best thing Cena has done since he turned heel. It was great television and only had one major flaw, which I’ll address in the next question.

Wow! Was that the most devastating AA ever that Cena gave Punk on Friday night? Cena was unmoving for nearly ten minutes while Cena cut the pipebomb promo on him. Thoughts?

That was hard to watch. I get what WWE was going for, but it just seemed to last forever, and Punk was just lying there, essentially playing dead. A man who takes all sorts of bumps daily, and yet he was out cold for almost twelve minutes. And it took that long before a referee came in to check on him. I get the suspension of belief, but still. Come on. That was ridiculous. Punk going through the announce table and outside the ring would have worked much better.

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!