Tossing Salt Presents:
NWA 74 (Night One)
Thoughts & Predictions
August 25, 2022
DougMaynard.com

This weekend, the National Wrestling Alliance is back on PPV, live from St. Louis, MO with NWA 74. Two nights of great wrestling action, sanctioned by the NWA. And an event this big means it’s time to break out the Magic 8-Ball. It’s time to make a few predictions. Night 1 of 2. Let’s do this.

Pre-Show Match
Country Gentlemen vs. Gold Rushhh

“Adorable” Anthony Andrews & “TheLegacy” AJ Cazana are the team known as the Country Gentlemen. Gold Rushhh is Jordan Clearwater and Marshe Rockett. Both teams will be wrestling here in the pre-show match and then will be wrestling again on Night 2, taking part in the Tag Team Battle Royal to determine the new NWA United States Tag Team Champions. I guess this match is the warm-up. Who wins? I’ll go with Gold Rushhh.

Winners: Gold Rushhh

Tables Match
Bully Ray vs. Mike Knox

I wonder if we’ll get a surprise appearance from any of Bully Ray’s “brothers” when he does that infamous call to “get the tables”? I know that D-Von currently works for WWE as an agent/producer, but with HHH as the boss, a quick trip to St. Louis probably wouldn’t be out of the question. Knox is a tough guy and I love him as part of the Cardona Family, but this is a tables match. That alone says that the winner will be Bully Ray.

Winner: Bully Ray

NWA Women’s World Championship
Kamille (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie

Kamille has been the champion for a while and has done an excellent job representing the NWA, but I have to wonder if she’s due for a fall when facing Taya Valkyrie? Taya is a former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion and if I recall correctly, doesn’t she currently hold the AAA Women’s Championship? What I’m saying is that she is no stranger to being a champion and that NWA Women’s Championship would probably be nice to add to her resume. So will it happen or will she be just another notch in the belt of Kamille as she continues her title run? I smell title change.

Winner and NEW NWA Women’s Champion: Taya Valkyrie

NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship
Homicide (c) vs. Kerry Morton

Kerry Morton is good and he has a tremendous future ahead of him for many years to come, but he’s not Homicide. This championship title is staying exactly where it is with the champ.

Winner and STILL NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion: Homicide

Burke Invitational – Winner Receives NWA Women’s Championship Match On Night 2
Tootie Lynn, KiLynn King, Samantha Starr, Missa Kate, Madi, Angelina Love, Jennacide, Natalia Markova

Eight women in contention for an opportunity to go after the NWA Women’s Championship. I’m admittingly only familiar with about half of these women, but they’re impressive talents and deserve to be in this match. Markova is probably the favorite, and Angelina Love is a definite favorite with a long history in TNA/Impact Wrestling and ROH, so she can not be overlooked. But my pick? She’s a third-generation talent, the daughter of Sam Houston and the Perfect Ten, Baby Doll. She has wrestling in her blood and is well on her way to being a very big name one day. And what better way to build a legacy than to go after the World Championship?

Winner and Number One Contender for the NWA Women’s Championship on Night Two: Samantha Starr

Matt Cardona vs. Handpicked Opponent

Matt Cardona is on his way back to the NWA World Championship and what better way than to wrestle a hand-picked opponent? My guess is that Brian Meyers will be the man to come out to “challenge” his best friend and tag team partner, to do a “Fingerpoke of Doom” finish, but then we’ll get a swerve. Before Cardona can celebrate his “victory”, how about another person, maybe former Impact rival Rich Swann, coming out and giving Cardona a real match and some tense moments? Doesn’t matter though. Cardona is back and he’s winning this match. Woo woo woo – you know it!

Winner: Matt Cardona

Beelzebub’s Bedlam match: Miserably Faithful (Judais, Gaagz The Gymp, and Sal the Pal) will battle The Ill Begotten (Alex Taylor, Jeremiah Plunkett & Rush Freeman)

My guess is that this is the NWA’s version of the Monster Ball match that Impact Wrestling seems to love so well. I’m not familiar with any of these people involved in the match so I’ll just flip a coin to decide. Heads it is and that means Miserably Faithful takes the win. Hey, with a guy named Sal the Pal on your team, how can you lose, right?

Winners: Miserably Faithful

EC3 vs. Mims

I’m not sure who Mims is, but I don’t have to know. EC3 should be wrestling in WWE right now as a top guy. He is a top guy, period. And he’s winning this match.

Winner: EC3

NWA World Tag Team Championships
Commonwealth Connection (Harry Smith & Doug Williams) (c) vs. La Rebellion (Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf)

This should be an awesome match. Both teams are solid workers and so damn good. This one could easily go either way and it would not be an upset or a shocker. I think I’ll go with Harry Smith and Doug Williams, aka The Commonwealth Connection, on this one. William Regal just popped up on my YouTube feed and he’s British and so are they. It has to be a sign, right?

Winners and STILL NWA World Tag Team Champions: The Commonwealth Connection

Luke Hawx vs. VSK

Both of these guys are strong performers and this is literally anyone’s match to win or lose. I think VSK needs the win more than Hawx does though. Right now, Hawx is Teflon, and wins or losses don’t really matter. So VSK gets the victory.

Winner: VSK

Pope vs. Rodney Mack

Rodney Mack is a tough guy and true wrestling legend who is very underrated and often forgotten when the discussion of legends and icons comes up, but it doesn’t make him any less worthy or deserving. The man is good. And the Pope? Elijah Burke is so damn good, both on the mic and in the ring. He really should be fighting for the NWA title or some top gold at this point and time in his career. The bottom line is both of these men can go and go hard. This should be a good match.

Winner: The Pope

And that’s it for my predictions for Night One. What do you think? Am I right? Am I wrong? We’ll find out this weekend at the NWA 74 pay-per-view that takes place at the Chase in St. Louis. It should be one hell of a show. Let me know what you think. And with that, I’m out of here. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. I’ll be back later today with my predictions for Night Two of NWA 74 so watch for it. Until then, take care and be good. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!