Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Shawn Michaels, Dax Harwood, Booker T & 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, guiding light, and the man with the best mullet since Billy Ray. Are you ready? Let’s do this.

Do you think Jake Hager deserves one more run in WWE?

I’d like to see it. I think the Real American gimmick would go over well in AAA, especially if Hager went in as one of the multiple El Grande Americano wrestlers. Jake is only 43 years old, just truly hitting his prime, and under the current WWE umbrella, I think he’d do quite well.

Should WWE go back to being more transparent with its wellness policy violations, or is keeping them private the better approach?

I’m torn on this one. A talent failing a Wellness test really isn’t anyone’s business, but WWE is a publicly traded company, and it’s all public record for the shareholders, so any argument against it is somewhat moot. I prefer the transparency. Share it.

Do you think Tony Khan needs to bring in a stronger team that isn’t afraid to challenge him creatively?

Tony needs to step back, sign the checks, and hire a qualified, experienced team to handle ALL the creativity at this point. Tony can throw in his two cents, but AEW needs new focus, new direction, and new guidance. Tony has been the man and has been doing everything for six years, and it’s not working. If Tony wasn’t a billionaire, able to throw money at every problem, AEW would have gone under long ago. As Jason Sensation said, all those many years ago, “Enough is enough and it’s time for a change!”.

Boxer versus Wrestler: Antonio Inoki versus Mike Tyson. Who wins?

With both in their primes, it’d be another confusing clown-show like the Inoki-Ali fight was back in 1976. A real fight would never happen. But, if it did, Tyson would have to stay away from Inoki and jab. If Inoki managed to wrap up Tyson, he’d have a chance, but so long as Tyson jabs and backs away, one good shot would be all it takes. Tyson would win.

Does WWE rely too much on nostalgia acts such as AJ Lee, Brock Lesnar, Nikki Bella, Trish Stratus, etc., or is the mix between older stars and new talent just right?

Right now, we have a good mix of older talent and younger, fresher stars. The older names draw in the audience, and the younger talent keeps the fans coming back, as it should be.

Shawn Michaels is having a double-knee replacement next month. Who should oversee NXT during his absence?

Ava, right? She is the NXT GM. I’m sure that WWE has many names ready to step into HBK’s role while he’s away. My guess would be Brian Armstrong, aka Road Dogg, and Bruce Prichard, aka Brother Love, as the most obvious temporary leaders.

Dax Harwood claims he’ll retire if he loses at AEW All Out. Thoughts?

What brought this on? I don’t know if this is supposedly legit or just a story, but FTR is facing Adam Copeland and Christian Cage in Toronto so the odds of FTR actually winning are very slim. Given how FTR’s career has been going lately in AEW, this is probably a good thing. We’ll just have to watch and see what happens.

“Timeless” Toni Storm recently made it known that she intends to stay in AEW until her eventual retirement from pro wrestling. Thoughts?

And I’m sure she means that, right now. But when the contract is up and WWE waves dollar signs in her face, well, a lady is entitled to change her mind, right?

Would you like to see Booker T back on SmackDown commentary more often?

Booker is doing a great job on NXT, and he can stay there. Between Corey Graves and Wade Barrett, the two main roster shows are in good hands.

Would you still want to see John Cena vs. Goldberg on a big stage?

Cena has only six appearances left, and Goldberg is retired. So, unless the Saudis come up with a ton of cash, I doubt this will ever happen. Okay, we’ll probably see it at WrestleMania in 2027. I don’t want to, nor do I think anyone else does either, but it’s wrestling, so never say never.

Do you think AEW needs to shorten its pay-per-views?

Does AEW need to change from 12-14 matches per event that no one remembers to a more manageable 7-8 matches per show, where the talent has a chance to actually shine and be featured correctly? Yeah, that would be nice.

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!