Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Nikita Koloff, Rick McGraw, CM Punk & More
June 29, 2023
DougMaynard.com

Greetings, salutations, and how the hell are you? You sent me questions and I’ve got the answers. It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Let’s do this.

Sgt. Slaughter, Ole Anderson, King Kong Mosca, Killer Khan & Roddy Piper versus Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Adam Page & Adam Cole. Who wins?

This one would go to The Elite, no doubt. Of course, it would be a win by DQ when the classic heels are disqualified for being too stiff and beating the holy hell out of the Pudding Gang one time too often.

Do you consider both Andre and DiBiase as former world champions?

I do consider Andre a former champion since he beat Hogan in a match and the referee raised his hand in victory. DiBiase though, “bought” the title from Andre so that wouldn’t count unless it was a 24/7 title match. So Andre yes and DiBiase no.

Terry Funk is the greatest hard-core wrestler ever. Agree?

While Terry Funk is an all-time great and has to be mentioned when any list of great hardcore wrestlers is argued and named, but the greatest ever? That’s a matter of opinion and I’d say no.

The Young Bucks are a MUCH better version of the Hardy Boyz. Agree or disagree?

If it wasn’t for the Hardy Boyz, there would never have been a Young Bucks. I think Cornette has it right when he calls the Bucks “the Hardly Boys”. Matt & Jeff are the real deal. The Bucks are just pale imitations.

When Nikita Koloff retired, he was only 33 years old. What do you think his future would have been like if he had continued wrestling?

After his wife passed away, Nikita lost a step and was just a shadow of himself so I’m not sure how well he would have done after that tragedy. I suspect a run with the NWA Championship and a solid future as a top guy for Crockett until the Turner buyout and then a trip up north to WWE to challenge Hogan and Hulkamania. And then back and forth between both WCW and WWE until retiring around age 48-50.

Thoughts on Rick McGraw?

I remember McGraw as a jobber for Crockett for a while. He was short in stature but had a strong presence about him that made him stand out. And then off to WWE where he was used as a jobber, but quickly grew to be popular with the fans and had some great matches in the process. His star was on the rise before that fateful Piper’s Pit and then a tragic death just days later. A good guy from all accounts that was taken far too soon.

Now that Bryan Danielson is out of action with a broken forearm for at least eight weeks, maybe longer, my question is what will happen next to the Blackpool Combat Club? Will they find a replacement for Bryan Danielson or will they wrestle with just the four of them for now?

I don’t think Bryan’s injury will have much effect on the future or stability of the BCC. The seemingly never-ending feud with The Elite will continue, while Moxley fights with Kingston and Claudio defends his ROH Championship. In other words, it’ll be business as usual until Bryan is ready to return.

Is Will Ospreay the best wrestler in the world right now?

Who is the best in the world is a subjective opinion-based title and nothing more. Some may think he’s among the best. Others may disagree. I would say he’s pretty high up there, but a few others, such as Bryan Danielson, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Finn Balor, etc., might disagree.

Is CM Punk a better babyface or heel?

I think he does far better as a heel than a babyface. He’s not a happy-go-lucky person. He likes to stir the pot and be the prick sometimes. It’s more natural.

Thoughts on the AEW Blind Eliminator Tournament?

It’s just a modified version of the old WCW Battle Bowl event with “randomly picked” partners forced to work together to attain a prize, this time being an opportunity to wrestle for the AEW World Tag Team Championship titles. I liked the old WCW events though and I like that AEW is bringing it back. I’m interested in seeing how this all plays out.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. And with that, let’s wrap things up. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for foreign objects and I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!