Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
AJ Styles, Rampage Jackson, Dark Side of the Ring & 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.

Do you think AJ Styles will retire when his current WWE contract ends? Or, do you think he’ll make an AEW run that he deserves?

I think that when the current WWE contract ends, WWE will make him an offer of maybe a limited contract with a part-time schedule, or maybe a job as either a trainer or agent, and he’ll make the decision he feels is best for him and his family. I don’t think we’ll ever see AJ Styles in AEW.

Rampage Jackson: “If you get paid to do fake fighting, don’t disrespect people that do the sh*t for real”. Thoughts?

The skills and talent it takes to do that ‘fake fighting’ is something I doubt Jackson could ever do. Anyone can beat someone up and be a mindless thug. Look at his son, for example. To be an athlete, an entertainer, an improvisational physical actor, and to handle the responsibilities that are part of being a professional wrestler are far more impressive and deserve respect than anything a mindless thug can do. That respect, it goes both ways, and who truly is more deserving? Hint: His name isn’t Jackson.

What episodes do you want to see on Season 7 of Dark Side of the Ring?

The story of Ann Casey, the story of Sweet Georgia Brown, an updated look at the life and death of Hulk Hogan, Ranger Ross, Brad Maddox, Joey Ryan, Alberto Del Rio, and an updated story on the ring boy scandals of WWE all come to mind.

Mr. T’s daughter, a stand-up comedian, is spreading a story about Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper getting in a cocaine-induced brawl and destroying a motel. Thoughts?

While I can’t say the story isn’t true, I have my doubts. Erica Nicole Clark might be telling the truth, but she was talking about Hogan doing coke, her father getting his ribs hurt, Piper coming to their motel room to apologize, and Hogan jumping him, the brawl that followed, etc. So many details for such a small child. My BS detector just says, NAH!

Nick Hogan has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Bubba the Love Sponge over Bubba’s unreleased “Video Killed The Radio Star: The Untold Story Of The Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Scandal” documentary. Thoughts?

This is interesting. Bubba has been cashing in and exploiting Hogan’s death, and I’m assuming Nick just got tired of it. I’ll be following this to see how it develops.

Kevin Nash says that KnokX Pro got “exactly” what they wanted from Raja Jackson during his incident with Syko Stu late last month. Thoughts?

I think KnoxX Pro wanted an incident and publicity, to get attention, and to be put on the wrestling map. They certainly got that, although I don’t think they quite anticipated how things would go when dealing with a mindless thug and the consequences. Shit happens, as they’re quickly discovering.

Deonna Purrazzo and Steve Maclin have a new podcast called “Boots To Boots”. Thoughts?

A new podcast? Yay, but I’ll pass. There are so many podcasts out there, and after Cornette, Dutch, Stevie Richards, Chris Van Vliet, Konnan & Disco, Bischoff, Jarrett, and occasionally Schiavone or Jim Ross, I don’t have time for another one. Change that. My friends Mike Youngblood, Jesse Coffey, and Angela Holland have a new podcast called the Clearwater Fan Girl Unplugged podcast. The first episode is up, an interview with BuffBagwell, and it’s available on YouTube. Check it out. I’ll speak with Youngblood and see if I can share it at the site. Buff is a great interview, and although there are a few rough moments, the perils of a new adventure and journey for a new show, it’s a great start for three incredible people. It’s Clearwater Fan Girl Unplugged. More on this in the days and weeks to come.

What names come to mind when I say, “Richest wrestlers in the ’80s who never worked for Vince?”.

The two names that immediately came to mind didn’t work for Vince, but were not only wrestlers, but also bookers and promoters as well. Verne Gagne, the owner of the AWA. He was quite wealthy, owned the AWA, and enjoyed a long career that most would envy. And the other? Ole Anderson. He was not only a wrestler and main eventer, but also booked Crockett and Georgia, and owned part of the Georgia territory. And he also owned a very successful lumber business in Minnesota, so his income and wealth were quite substantial. And neither man ever worked for Vince McMahon.

What is your personal Mt. Rushmore of live matches that you have witnessed in person?

My personal favorite matches that I witnessed in person? The first two are easy. Durham, NC – Michael Youngblood versus Ethan Storm. I’m close to both men, and the three of us had ridden to the show together. Both Youngblood and Storm were basically rookies, but they had a great match and literally beat the shit out of each other. They stole the show.

My second would be in Lumberton, NC, where Gene Anderson wrestled Jay Youngblood. It’s just a filler type of match, but for some reason, Jay & Gene decided to have fun and just went 1000%, like you’d expect at a major PPV event, instead of 200 people in an old Armory. And it rocked.

And the final two that stand out for me? A six-man tag with Gary Hart, Kabuki, and The Magic Dragon versus Jimmy Valiant, Bugsy McGraw, and Rufus R. Jones. Maybe 200 people in a small, outdoor event in Bennetsville, SC. It was a spectacle of comedy, wrestling, wild action, and just fun to watch. And the good guys won. A perfect evening for my then 13-year-old self.

And finally, an IWA event in, I believe, Elizabeth City, NC. Street fight and fans bring the weapons. Michael Youngblood versus Viper. Those two put on a literal banger of a fight, and it was awesome. Yeah, let me tell you something. I’ve seen Michael wrestle many, many times, and I can honestly say, if he came along a few years later, starting a career in the 2000s instead of the 1990s, Michael would be a top star in WWE today, doing banger after banger with Sheamus and Rusev every Monday night. That’s not opinion. That’s a fact.

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; that is all people need to know. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!