What the others said. It doesn't affect it directly, but the extra damage from wpf increases the knockdown chance.
Also, while a 36/3 build is good for maulers, it's a far cry from the best. Heavy STR builds are best with the longer reaching weapons (greatswords or glaive), while maulers should have some movement speed too. Swinging speed (through wpf) isn't that important since you are gonna be slow anyway. If you are gonna use the Great Maul, you really don't need more than 21 STR and 7 PS to crushthrough. Mallet needs 24 (27 against steel shield) STR and 8 PS, while only the "Maul" maul needs 30+ to Crushthrough.
21/21 is probably the best build for mauling, but 24/15 might be better depending on your playstyle or if you want more health.