Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Cesaro, Scaffold Matches, FTR & More
June 29, 2022
DougMaynard.com

Let’s get ready to rumble. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Are you ready? I said, are you ready? Let’s do this.

Cesaro is All Elite. Thoughts?

Claudio Castagnoli, after nearly a decade in WWE, has jumped ship and is now working for AEW. And in this case, I’m very happy for the change. I think Claudio is an amazing talent who WWE didn’t use to his best potential. For some reason, Vince McMahon felt that Claudio was mid-card at best and primarily a tag team wrestler and while that’s all fine and dandy, the fans and hell, most of his peers, realize that Claudio was every inch a top guy and should be in the mix with Cena, Owens, Roman, Seth, etc. Now, at AEW, based on the tearful hug of joy Tony Khan gave him at Forbidden Door, he’ll get his chance to prove the doubters (Vince) wrong. I’m happy for him.

What was the best storyline in the JCP era?

There are so many to choose from, but off the top of my head, I’ll go with either the Flair-Mulligan break-up, aka The Hat and The Robe, or else when Rick Steamboat turned on tag team partner Paul Jones, thus forcing Jones to become a heel and then manager a few years later, aka “Number One”.

Thoughts on Scaffold Matches?

I’ve never liked them and they’re too dangerous with too little reward for the effort. The two or four wrestlers are twenty feet above the ground with about three feet of space to work with and you lose by getting thrown off the Scaffold. As Jim Cornette proved, the risk of serious injury is too big a cost for such a boring match. Leave those buried in the past where they belong.

What is your opinion of the commentary team of Bob Caudle and Roddy Piper? I thought it was excellent.

Piper, when allowed to be Piper, was excellent on color commentary. I remember he and Caudle together, but that wasn’t his best time as a color guy. I think he really peaked in that role while working with Gordon Solie in Georgia. Caudle’s best broadcast partners were, in my opinion, Ray Stevens, Dutch Mantell, or David Crockett. I know a lot of people don’t like Crockett and yes, he was annoying, but he and Caudle worked well together and made a good team.

The Anderson Brothers (Ole & Gene) versus The Road Warriors. Who wins?

The matches themselves, I think that the Road Warriors would win the majority of them because the Anderson’s didn’t need to win. Win or lose, they were there to try and hurt their opponent. A feud with these teams would have been awesome. The Warriors dominate most of the matches, but the Andersons methodically break them down and take out an arm or leg. It owuld be epic.

Thoughts on the AEW Forbidden Door PPV?

The show was incredible and kicked ass. That’s all that needs to be said.

FTR now holds the AAA Tag Team Titles, the ROH Tag Team Titles, and the IWGP Tag Team Titles. Are they the best tag team in wrestling today?

In wrestling today, I have to say that FTR is the team that is setting the bar and standards for tag team wrestling. The Usos are right up there as well, but right now, FTR is the team to beat. They are to pro wrestling today as The Anderson Brothers, The Road Warriors, The Midnight Express, or Demolition was to wrestling in their era.

Manager’s Match: Bobby Heenan versus Jimmy Hart. Who wins?

People don’t realize that Bobby was actually a damn good wrestler and before becoming a manager full time, could really go in that ring. He always took the big bumps for his opponents and was an incredible performer. Jimmy Hart? He made a great punching bag. Hart was a great talker and entertainer, but his in-ring skills were a bit lacking. In a shoot fight, Bobby would totally kick Hart’s ass. But in a pro wrestling match, given their characters, Bobby would fall over his own feet, sell some ridiculous bumps, and Hart, through shenanigans of course, would walk out with a stolen win.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Thoughts, comments, or any questions you may have are welcome and appreciated. Until the next time, take care of yourself and be good. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!