Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
The National Championship, Ridge Holland, Bianca Belair & 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 Cyrus. Are you ready? Let’s do this.

AEW has announced that the inaugural National Champion will be crowned at Full Gear. But there is already an NWA National Champion, Mike Mondo. Is AEW ripping off the NWA? Thoughts?

AEW and Tony Khan are clearly ripping off the NWA with this move. The National Championship was an NWA title, based in Georgia, dating back to the early ’80s, and the original National Champion, Austin Idol, works for the NWA. For such a historian and fan of wrestling, this is a major slap in the face by AEW to the NWA, and very disrespectful. What’s next? The AEW World Class Championship, or the AEW Knock Them Out Championship? If the belt were inactive, it might be different, but the NWA National Championship is active, has a champion in Mike Mondo, and is regularly featured on NWA programming. This was absolutely a BS move by AEW and TonyKhan.

Do you think AEW should have introduced the National Championship, or is the NWA right to call foul?

The NWA is totally right to call AEW out for this. It’s a punk ass, BS move.

WWE terminated Ridge Holland’s contract early after he made some disparaging comments about WWE and his situation on X. Should WWE have supported Ridge Holland through the end of his recovery? Thoughts?

I’m torn on this one. WWE didn’t fire Holland. They just didn’t extend his contract. WWE is continuing to pay medical costs and for rehab. But Holland knew that WWE wasn’t extending his deal, and should have planned accordingly. And spilling all the dirty laundry on social media? That’s on Holland. He should have bit his tongue and remained silent until he was officially free from WWE. He didn’t, and they’re pissed off. Actions have consequences. It would have been nice if WWE had frozen his contract and continued to pay Holland until he’s cleared to wrestle again, but they weren’t legally obligated to. Holland burned that bridge too soon, and now he’s being forced to deal with the consequences.

Why is Undertaker helping out at AAA? It’s not like he was a lucha talent.

Taker was never a Lucha talent, but who knows WWE better than the Dead Man? WWE owns AAA now, and they’re trying to bring AAA up to WWE’s standards. The Undertaker is perfect for that role.

Bianca Belair is expected back in WWE soon, most likely around the Royal Rumble time. Thoughts?

Bianca comes back at the Rumble as a surprise entrant and goes on to have a banger of a feud and match at WrestleMania. That sounds good to me.

Do you think AEW is watering down its championships?

It’s like the meme with Oprah. You get a belt. You get a belt. Mone gets 12 belts. If everyone has a title, the titles mean nothing. So, that would be a yes.

Would you want to see Eva Marie return to WWE for one more run?

Eva Marie has never impressed me, but if WWE wants to bring her back, I have no objections. She can’t do any worse than Nikki Bella’s current return.

Dwayne Johnson versus Glenn Jacobs for the White House in 2028. Who would get your vote? The Rock or Kane?

Dwayne is a great entertainer but has never really proven himself in a true leadership role. Kane does it every day as the Mayor of Knox County, TN. And my own politics align more with Jacobs than The Rock. So, I’d pick the Big Red Machine over the People’s Champion. That’s just my opinion, though.

To help pay the rent, food, and other bills, Ridge Holland has started a GoFundMe. Thoughts?

Holland has a family, and it’s nice that people are stepping in to help him pay the bills while he recovers from his injuries. The cynical part of me wonders if this was the plan all along, to leech off the fans while he recovers, but I’ve probably just seen too many Justin Credible posts, and my faith in people is on the fritz. Who knows? Good for Holland. He needs help and found a way.

Is Cody Rhodes getting too much blame when WWE struggles?

Cody is the face of the company, so getting blamed is part of the job, regardless of who is actually responsible. People should open their eyes and look where the majority of responsibility actually lies, with TKO and the money-first policies. But Cody is the public face, so he’s the easy target. It’s just part of the territory.

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!