Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Jey Uso, Larry Zbyszko, Positive AEW Thoughts & More
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

It’s the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. It’s Monday. I’m Doug, your party host and Guiding Light. Let’s roll.

Curt Hennig versus Larry Zbyszko. Who wins?

Larry was something of a mentor for Hennig during Curt’s early days of his career in the AWA so he would have that advantage over Hennig. But Curt was bigger, stronger, and if you listen to the hype, perfect, so that kind of levels out any advantages that The Living Legend might have. This would be a fun match for all parties involved. It would allow Curt to play the rare babyface role while Larry would stall and complain, thus infuriating the fans. The winner? Curt Hennig.

Kevin Nash recently commented about the WWE booking of R-Truth and says it makes him look bad, primarily because of his race. Thoughts?

Maybe it does make Truth look dumb at times, but he has taken the character, a comedy character by the way, and gotten over with the fans in a way that few could ever hope to compare with. It’s not like this is a new thing as Truth has incorporated the comedy bit into his gimmick for nearly twenty years and seems to enjoy himself doing the off-the-wall stuff and playing the town fool. Maybe it was a racist thing at the beginning, but Truth took those lemons and he turned it into a very successful career that shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

According to WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, his upcoming title defense against U.S. Champion Logan Paul is title versus title. Thoughts?

A title versus title main event between the two top stars of Smackdown. It sounds pretty cool to me. I’m sure that it’s going to be an excellent match and both men will give 100%. I don’t expect a clean finish or to see either championship change hands, but I’m sure that Cody and Logan will attempt to steal the show.

Larry Zbyszko was the master of stalling. What modern-day wrestler would you like to see use the stall as part of his gimmick/character?

In today’s world of hot-shot moves, no selling, and so many flips and high spots instead of telling a story, I don’t think that the stall would work for most wrestlers anymore. The fickle fans would be screaming “Boring” after about 30 seconds or so. But that being said, a wrestler who could probably use the stall as part of his gimmick and make it work? How about Austin Theory? He’s a natural heel and gets great heat already so just imagine if he started stalling in the matches as well. It’d be fun.

What’s your favorite gimmick match?

I’ve always had a warm place in my heart for a good old-fashioned street fight. Two men in street clothes just beating the holy hell out of each other. The Russian Chain match is always fun as well.

If you could bring back any PPV/PLE from the past for WWE and make it a regular part of their calendar, what show would you bring back and why?

I’d bring back WCW Slamboree: A Legend’s Reunion. It was a special event set aside for honoring the legends and icons of professional wrestling. I’d love to see WWE bring back the concept and also move the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony to the same weekend so it could be one huge extravaganza. The WWE Hall of Fame seems more of an afterthought these days, crammed into a week of three television shows, three nights of PLE events, and everything. An event like Slamboree would allow the HOF inductions to shine again, as they should, plus give the company a special weekend to honor their past.

How’s this for an angle? Chelsea Green, after getting attacked and beaten up by one of the other women in WWE, Jade Cargill perhaps, and her complaints to management going unheeded, hires some “security” to protect her. That security is James Ellsworth, Marko Stunt, and Hornswoggle. Thoughts?

I’m smiling just thinking of that scenario and Chelsea would be the perfect character to pull something off like that. Or of course, you could just bring in and pair her up with Matt Cardona, but where’s the fun of that? Ellsworth, Marko, and Hornswoggle as the modern-day version of Ralphus for Chelsea? I like it.

You trash AEW a lot in your comments. Can you name three positive things about Tony Khan and AEW wrestling?

Three positive things? Having AEW around has made WWE and professional wrestling stronger and better over the past few years. Tony has provided jobs and good paychecks for many well-deserving talents just looking for a break and doing what they love the best. And the third? AEW and Tony Khan give people like me, who write about pro wrestling, plenty of content and material to talk about.

Big Van Vader w/ Harley Race versus Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman. Who wins?

With Vader in his prime, the Mastodon versus The Beast, this would be an epic encounter. Talk about stiff and painful to watch. Seeing Race and Heyman on the outside of the ring with Heyman trying to avoid the wrath of Harley would be incredible in itself. And the two huge powerhouses of meaty men clashing in the ring? A dream match for sure. It’d be a tough one and both men would be feeling this match for days. I think Brock would come out as the winner.

Jey Uso took to social media on Sunday to comment on the new fan participation element of his entrance, dubbing himself the “Yeeter of Worlds.” He followed it up by saying that “Yall ain’t got no damn choice. Fireflies are mines now.” Thoughts?

I think Jey may be laying the seeds for the first feud for Uncle Howdy and his group when they make their debut. The whole concept of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt 6, or whatever they’re to be called, is to keep the legend of Bray Wyatt alive and strong and pay homage to Bray’s character and legacy. And here is Jey Uso taking a shot at an important part of that legacy and claiming it for himself. If that’s not the groundwork for a feud or at least a six-on-one beatdown, I don’t know what it. It’ll be interesting to see how this develops.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe. 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!