Tossing Salt Presents:
Ultimate Wrestling Q&A
Penta, Lyra Valkyria, Corey Graves
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

I’m Doug and this is the Ultimate Wrestling Q&A. Let’s do this.

In a recent Q&A, you mentioned an idea for a Legend’s Rumble match, where 12 legends would compete in a mini version of the Royal Rumble with the winner going to the Royal Rumble. What men and women would you use in these matches?

24 names, twelve men and twelve women, who are still in ring-worthy shape, have big enough names to get a pop, and could still be credible enough to belong in the Royal Rumble, in two mini-Rumble matches. For the men, how about The Hurricane, Robert Roode, Jamie Noble, Curtis Axel, Gangrel, Ken Shamrock, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Wolfie D, JTG, Curt Hawkins, and Matt Cardona? And the women? Mickie James, Torrie Wilson, Layla, Michelle McCool, Jazz, Lita, Trish Stratus, Kharma, Candice Michelle, Madusa, CJ Perry (Lana), and Victoria. Cardona & Mickie James win and get spots in the regular Rumble matches as a result.

What are your thoughts on Penta’s debut on RAW? Did it live up to the hype?

It was a lot more competitive than I expected, but it was a really good match that made both Penta and Chad Gable look good. The two men showed great chemistry together and I want to see more. Plus, who knew Penta could talk? True, most of it was in Spanish, but the intensity was off the charts. I get the hype now more than I ever did while Penta was in AEW. It was an excellent beginning of what hopefully, will be a long and spectacular career.

Oba Femi versus Gunther. Who wins?

The NXT Champion versus The World Champion. This would be an excellent match. My first impulse was to say Gunther and be done with it, but Femi has an almost Brock Lesnar-like quality about him. He’s a true monster in that ring. It’s a tough choice, but I think Fenti would shock everyone and get the pin.

The Wyatt Sicks have been moved to WWE Smackdown. Thoughts?

This is a good move by WWE. The Wyatt’s are an impressive unit, but since their debut a few months ago, they’ve been in a hold-like pattern. They came in with a bang and then, nothing. They need a fresh start and some tweaking. Maybe changing brands will give this to them. It sure can’t hurt.

Sami Zayn versus The Miz on RAW and Miz didn’t even get a televised entrance. What the hell? Thoughts?

From what I understand, the Penta versus Gable match ran long and WWE had to cut some time somewhere. Unfortunately, Miz was the victim and didn’t get an intro as a result. That sucks for Miz. He deserved better.

So, Gunther vs Jey Uso?

The main event of the next edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event. It should be a good match and hopefully will jump-start Gunther’s current run as the World Champion. A good match will shatter the glass ceiling and keep Uso in the main event scene, as he deserves, and it gives The Ring General some momentum to move his character forward. It’s an interesting clash of characters, but I’m looking forward to it.

Lyra Valkyria is the 1st ever WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion! Thoughts?

Valkyria is an impressive young lady and a solid wrestler. I don’t know much about her, but the few matches I have seen were decent. She’s always been more of a low-key character, overshadowed by the other women on the roster, but hopefully, that will change now that she’s wearing gold. She’s an interesting choice, but this will allow her to step up and become a star. Good for her.

So, who are your top 5 Luchadores?

Of all time? La Parka, Rey Mysterio, Silver King, Vampiro, and Fuego Del Sol.

Corey Graves tweeted on Monday, “Imagine chasing your dream. Then being TOLD (not deciding) that you’re no longer physically able to pursue your dream. Then you dedicate your life to something “dream adjacent” and being pretty fucking awesome at it. And then, when it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, being told you’re not famous enough for your own job. Just in case you’ve wondered where I’ve been.” Thoughts?

After this, Graves did another post saying he’d explain all on NXT but was then removed from the NXT broadcast. And my thoughts? Graves is too good at what he does and has been a part of WWE for too long to suddenly go all maverick like this and take any issues public. Everyone is playing this like it’s the real deal, and maybe it is. But my spider sense says differently. Graves has been cleared to wrestle again for several months and we’re getting close to WrestleMania. Can you see where I’m going now? Write this down. Corey Graves versus Pat McAfee at WrestleMania. I might be wrong, but I don’t think so.

Matt Cardona says AEW did not offer him a contract following his recent run. Thoughts?

Meltzer says that AEW offered Cardona a contract, but Matt says they didn’t. Who should we believe? I’m surprised that AEW and Tony Khan didn’t offer Matt a contract, but we all know, and I think Tony knows as well, that Matt’s goal is to trade the titles of Indy God and Death Match King for WWE Superstar. Matt wants to go back to WWE and if he had been offered an AEW deal, he would have said no, thank you! So why would AEW even bother? They got a few weeks of good television and a banger of a main event for ROH from Matt. Everyone is happy. And life goes on.

And there you go. My thanks for reading. Comments, thoughts, and any questions are welcome and appreciated. Drop me a line at Doug28352@yahoo.com. Also, find me on X at @Doug28352. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe. And with that, I’m out of here. I need to go fold some clothes. Take care and be well, my friends. Watch out for Oba Femi. He’s attacking people in the back. I’ll see you at the matches.

Ubuntu!